The Biden administration announced a significant initiative on Friday aimed at countering the global influence of the Russian state media network Russia Today (RT), which declassified U.S. intelligence findings show is deeply involved in the Kremlin’s intelligence and covert operations worldwide. The State Department announced plans for a diplomatic campaign to warn other countries about the risks associated with RT's activities.
“Thanks to new information, much of which originates from RT employees, we know that RT possessed cyber capabilities and engaged in covert information and influence operations and military procurement,” said Secretary of State Antony Blinken. A key intelligence finding revealed that for over a year, Russia embedded an intelligence unit within RT, focusing on global influence operations. U.S. officials described this as a significant expansion of RT’s role as a Kremlin tool, extending beyond propaganda to include activities like military procurement.
Blinken further alleged that RT leaders also oversaw a crowdfunding campaign to supply military equipment to Russian troops in Ukraine, providing sniper rifles, drones, body armor, and other gear. The U.S. seeks to curb RT's global operations by informing countries about its connections to Russian intelligence and its impact on democratic processes.
RT mocked the U.S. announcement in a statement, joking, “We’ve been broadcasting straight out of the KGB headquarters all this time.”
This development follows the U.S. Department of Justice filing charges against RT employees for funneling nearly $10 million into a covert influence campaign aimed at shaping public opinion in the U.S. ahead of the 2024 presidential election. The U.S. is now building a coalition to confront RT’s influence, similar to its efforts to counter the Chinese telecom giant Huawei.
Formerly known as Russia Today, RT operates global media platforms promoting “the Kremlin’s agenda”. It has been banned in the European Union and is not broadcast publicly in the U.S., though its reach is growing in Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa. U.S. officials are concerned about RT’s impact on global perceptions of the Ukraine war, which, they say, should be viewed as a straightforward case of Russian aggression.
It remains unclear if the Russian intelligence unit embedded within RT is still operational, according to U.S. officials.
