In the buildup to the 2024 elections, actions have been taken by the Biden administration to target Russian disinformation campaigns. Earlier this month, the Department of Justice made public an indictment of two RT employees, where RT is a news organization backed by the Russian state and formerly known as Russia Today. Central to the indictment is Tenet Media, responsible for disseminating right-wing influencer material. According to the indictment, RT funded Tenet Media and controlled its operations, including editing and posting content, despite denials from the involved influencers regarding knowledge of Russian connections.
Last week, Meta declared a prohibition on RT and other Russian state-backed media on its platforms, alongside YouTube’s removal of over 230 channels linked to Russian media. These measures were part of broader actions including sanctions imposed by the US State Department on Russian state media, accusing them of disseminating disinformation concerning the war in Ukraine and aiding military efforts through crowdfunding activities connected to Russia’s intelligence operations.
“These media entities backed by the Kremlin are engaged in covert operations not just to subvert US democracy but also to interfere in the internal matters of nations globally,” stated Secretary of State Antony Blinken. He revealed that RT had integrated a unit within its structure that held cyber capabilities and direct links to Russian intelligence, with RT’s management fully aware of this setup.
“The removal of RT and similar media from Meta is significant because those platforms are crucial for the dissemination of Russian propaganda,” commented Samuel Woolley, an associate professor and the founder of the Propaganda Research Lab at the University of Pittsburgh.
In the US, RT employed personalities such as former war reporter Chris Hedges and late night host Larry King until it lost most of its broadcast access following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Despite the sanctions and deplatforming reducing propaganda efforts within the US, RT continues to be influential elsewhere, particularly in Africa and Latin America, where Spanish-speaking audiences form its largest demographic outside Russia. RT has also significantly invested in traditional television infrastructure, maintaining offices in diverse cities including Havana, Buenos Aires, Cairo, Delhi, and Algiers, and offers content in French, German, and Arabic, besides English.
“English language speakers have not been the primary focus of RT or Russian media’s propaganda,” mentions Woolley. “They have been expanding their reach for nearly two decades across Latin America, parts of Africa, and other regions, making RT and Sputnik almost ubiquitous in daily life there.”
In Latin America, RT broadcasts round-the-clock and attracted an audience of 18 million in 2018. The channel ‘African Stream,’ identified by the State Department as part of Russia’s media influence and later blocked by YouTube and Meta, managed to achieve 460,000 YouTube followers within two years. Woolley points out that in these markets, there’s probably less contention for viewership compared to the overcrowded US media scene.
“Russian media has been particularly effective in limited media environments, where they can more significantly influence public opinion,” he states. Russian outlets often emphasize anti-colonial and anti-Western sentiments, which resonate strongly in regions historically affected by Western imperialism. Meanwhile, the US hosts its state-funded outlets like Voice of America overseas, yet as stated on the organization’s website, the 1994 U.S. International Broadcasting Act ensures an interference-free, objective, and independent news reporting by prohibiting any US government official’s intervention.
Rubi Bledsoe, a research associate at Center for Strategic and International Studies, explains that despite the removal of Russian state media from some social platforms, their messages continue to proliferate via more subtle methods, such as through influencers and minor publications that have developed affiliations with them.
Bledsoe indicates, “Russian media excelled in concealing their identity as a Russian government branch while sidelong, they would distribute their content to local newspapers and media across the region.” She points out that prominent South American broadcaster TeleSur would occasionally collaborate with RT. Alternatively, Russia supports regional channels like Cameroon’s Afrique Média. “These smaller secondary and tertiary outlets may be smaller, but they have the capability to communicate with certain segments of the local populace,” she adds.
Russian media has also been effective in nurturing local influencers who tend to echo its themes. Bledsoe highlights Inna Afinogenova, a Russian Spanish-language journalist formerly with RT, who now runs her own independent YouTube channel with over 480,000 subscribers. Afinogenova left RT after expressing her dissent against the war in Ukraine.
Moreover, Bledsoe suggests that the ban from the US may actually benefit Russian media in regions where it seeks to solidify its reputation as a credible media source. According to her, “The narratives pushed by RT and other Russian as well as Iranian media outlets include anti-imperialist sentiments against the West, focusing particularly on the US. They convey that the US is the main proponent of the current international system, engaging in conspiracies aimed at undermining other nations’ sovereignty.”
Although Meta has often been a conduit for the dissemination of content from Russian state media, those outlets have found refuge on different platforms. Accounts such as @russian_news_ and @russiatodayfrance, which primarily share RT content, enjoy a substantial following on TikTok, accumulating tens of thousands of followers. African Stream’s TikTok account remains active, nearing 1 million followers. On matters related to election misinformation, TikTok spokesperson Jamie Favazza directed inquiries towards the platform’s policies.
A recent announcement on X from RT’s channel on September 18, the day following a ban, indicated its ongoing presence on various platforms including the conservative video sharing service Rumble, X, and the Russian alternative to YouTube, VK. RT’s account on X boasts 3.2 million followers and another 125,000 on Rumble. The message from RT emphasized resilience against bans, declaring, “Meta can ban us all it wants, but you can always find us here.” X, however, has not commented on this issue.
