Written by Anastasiia Ratieieva
The US State Department has recently imposed new sanctions on Russian media company RT and its subsidiaries. Since the spring of 2022, the EU, the UK, and the US have gradually imposed restrictions on Kremlin broadcasters. Non-political actors have also joined the effort to limit Russian media influence, with Meta blocking RT across its platforms.
In this article, we’ll look at the rationale behind such restrictions, as well as the Kremlin’s propaganda response to radical methods of combating the regime’s main platform for spreading its rhetoric.
RT’s global influence: justification for sanctions
According to the US government, a cyber-operational unit with ties to Russian intelligence will be established within RT in the spring of 2023. This unit transmits information to Russian intelligence services, the media, and other Russian government proxies.
According to US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, RT conducts covert operations for information gathering, influence, and military procurement. Blinken emphasised that Kremlin-backed media outlets not only undermine democracy in the United States but also interfere in the sovereign affairs of other countries.
The US State Department claims that RT employees use intelligence techniques, front companies, and networking technologies to conceal their involvement in covert operations. According to Blinken, these organisations function as a division of the Russian intelligence apparatus.
Examples of RT’s impact on international politics
According to the US State Department, RT worked with Russian authorities to influence Moldovan elections, including the presidential election and the EU accession referendum set for October 2024. The goal of this operation is thought to be to incite protests and destabilise the situation in the country.
RT actively spreads disinformation in the Global South, particularly in Latin America, where it is one of the most important international channels of information dissemination. RT (Russia Today) actively supported Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro prior to the previous fraudulent elections, using its platform and social media.
RT frequently emphasised the alleged economic war waged by the West and the United States against Venezuela, portraying Maduro as a supporter of national independence and socialist ideals. Since late December 2023, the Kremlin has funded RT’s participation in the 2024 Mexican presidential election to spread anti-American rhetoric and destabilise the country.
The Kremlin uses the RT Academy platform to promote its ideology and agenda by training journalists and media representatives. RT Academy offers educational programs, internships, and training that emphasize “alternative” views on global events, which often coincide with the official positions of the Russian Federation.
This allows for the creation of a network of international journalists who are inclined to spread pro-Kremlin views, undermining the credibility of Western media and establishing narratives favourable to the Russian government.
Through RT Academy, the Kremlin is also attempting to strengthen its influence on media platforms in various countries, thereby expanding the reach of its propaganda.
Meta’s measures to block RT
On September 16, 2024, Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, announced radical measures against Russian state media. All previous content of RT-affiliated outlets was deleted without the possibility of recovery or appeal.
Prior to the blocking, RT had a sizable following on Meta platforms, with over 7.2 million followers on Facebook and over 1 million on Instagram. These accounts are now inaccessible to users, and their content has been completely deleted.
Meta has previously taken steps to limit the influence of Russian state media, including blocking their advertising and reducing the reach of their publications. However, the new decision is the company’s most radical step yet in the fight against Kremlin propaganda and foreign interference.
Meta stated in its official statement that this decision was made after careful consideration of the circumstances. The company emphasized that it has observed attempts by Russian state media to conceal its activities and does not rule out further attempts to deceive.
Kremlin’s reaction: from ridicule to manipulation
At first, the Kremlin propaganda tried to ridicule the US State Department’s statements: Margarita Simonyan (RT editor-in-chief), Maria Zakharova (Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson), and Yulia Vityazeva (propaganda blogger) resorted to outright monkeying around.
After the announcement of the sanctions, Zakharova began accusing the United States of Nazism and Russophobia in official communications on behalf of the Russian Foreign Ministry.
To strengthen its arguments for the domestic audience, RT on its Russian-language Telegram channel quoted openly manipulated quotes from Western publications and journalists from the Middle East
The Russian authorities harshly criticised Meta’s decision. According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, Meta “discredits itself by these actions”. He also stated that such selective actions against Russian media are unacceptable and jeopardise the prospects of normalising relations with the company.
It is worth noting that in 2022, Russia designated Meta as a “extremist” organisation and banned Instagram and Facebook on its territory.
Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of RT, Telegram channel (551,000):
We’re running out of popcorn, which we’re devouring, watching what else the US government will come up with.
Yulia Vityazeva, propagandist, Telegram channel (67,000):
Does Blinken realize that by making such accusations against the Russian media, he is nullifying everything, from stories about the power of the United States, which, as it turns out, can be undermined by a single article on RT, to tales of freedom of speech and other pretentious but gloomy mantras that we have been fed for decades? In this regard, I hasten to congratulate my colleagues at RT. You are now the second main weapon of the Kremlin after the nuclear one. I think this is a status you can be rightfully proud of.
Maria Zakharova, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, Telegram channel (493,000):
US actions against Russia today, RT, Sputnik, etc. – Washington’s direct declaration of an information war. It is based on a very clear, Russophobic nationalist ideology.
Journalist and political analyst in Berlin Abdul-Masih Al-Shami, RT in Russian, Telegram channel (989,000):
“The United States has long used Western media and social media as a weapon to promote political programs that serve its interests.”
Dr. Ayman Samir, RT in Russian, Telegram channel (989,000):
The American campaign against RT shows that the West is lying when it claims to be a free speech and alternative opinion. The statement made by Anthony Blinken last Friday is a complete lie from the first to the last word.
RT in Russian, Telegram channel (989,000):
Readers of Die Welt showed a surprisingly unanimous reaction, criticizing the move and being outraged that they are being dictated to from above what is considered “hostile influence” and being deprived of their legal right to receive information. “Great! Now I can only read my own propaganda”.
RT serves as a tool for Russia’s soft power Russia promotes disinformation campaigns and propaganda in various parts of the world. Its activities are intended to undermine democratic processes, instill distrust in Western governments and international organisations, and support political forces sympathetic to the Kremlin. The introduction of sanctions against RT will help limit its influence, protect the free information space, and prevent destabilisation, all of which benefit the Kremlin.
This situation highlights the complexities of the fight against disinformation and the importance of increased international cooperation in limiting the Kremlin’s influence.