5 Kanal (Ukrainian: 5 канал; English: Channel 5) is a television station in Ukraine controlled by businessman Petro Poroshenko. The channel became well known as the first major broadcaster during the 2004 presidential election offering critical broadcasting on candidate Viktor Yanukovych. The whole staff of the channel went on hunger strike when (at the time, late 2004) the government threatened to close it. According to Ukrainian media watchdog Telekrytyka Kanal 5 and TVi were the only remaining TV channels mid-May 2010 with independent and fair TV news coverage.