Russia’s RT Will Continue Operations in the West, Editor States

Moscow – Russian state media outlet RT, which has been accused by the United States of attempting to influence its presidential election, plans to continue operations in the West despite potential restrictions and sanctions, according to its editor-in-chief, Margarita Simonyan.

Recently, U.S. authorities filed money-laundering charges against two RT employees, alleging that they were involved in a scheme to use an American firm to produce online content aimed at affecting the 2024 election. Additionally, Simonyan has been identified by U.S. officials as a key player in efforts related to Russian government disinformation.

Simonyan stated that since 2014, following Russia’s annexation of Crimea, there has been increasing pressure from the West on RT, intensifying after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. She expressed that the aim has been to undermine RT’s ability to operate as a traditional news organization.

"We have remained in these countries, continued our work, and will persist—just not through conventional means," Simonyan remarked. "As far as we are capable, we will keep it going—it’s almost like a thrilling gamble.” She metaphorically described their strategy, saying, “If they close doors on us, we will find alternative ways in."

A senior U.S. intelligence official has indicated that RT is leveraging American and other public figures to sway U.S. voters in favor of former President Donald Trump, opposing Vice President Kamala Harris in the upcoming election.

Internally, Russia has enforced severe restrictions on independent media since 2022, largely silencing dissent regarding its military actions in Ukraine and limiting the operations of Western news organizations. In response to U.S. actions against RT, Russia has vowed to retaliate, escalating a series of media restrictions in both the U.S. and Russia aimed at curbing perceived misinformation from each side.

In June, Russian authorities announced they would block the broadcasts of 81 media outlets from the European Union, a reaction to similar sanctions enacted by the EU against Russian media.

Simonyan advocated for the expulsion of all U.S. media from Russia and suggested that major social media platforms based in the U.S. should be replaced within the country due to their influence. She asserted, “We must take a significant step to ensure that our platforms are fully competitive and effective enough to replace these foreign entities.”

She likened allowing foreign platforms to operate in Russia to "stationing a serious enemy army unit here in barracks and taking young people on excursions day and night."

Currently, Instagram is banned in Russia, though users can access it via VPNs, while YouTube, the leading foreign video platform in the country, remains available despite experiencing slower access speeds recently.