The U.S. State Department has announced new sanctions targeting Russian state media, accusing RT (Russia Today) of directly supporting the Russian military’s operations in Ukraine through fundraising campaigns. Secretary of State Antony Blinken revealed that RT has been involved in raising money for military supplies, including sniper rifles, body armor, night-vision equipment, and drones.
Blinken described RT as not only a source of propaganda but also a crucial element of Russia’s war efforts and intelligence operations. He emphasized that the sanctions aim to expose RT’s covert activities and undermine the Kremlin’s attempts to operate under the guise of legitimate media.
RT, previously sanctioned for its role in spreading disinformation, is now accused of running crowd-sourcing campaigns on Russian social media platforms to support the Russian military. These efforts reportedly involved procuring equipment from China, although there is no evidence that Chinese officials were aware of the end use of their products.
The sanctions target RT’s parent organization, TV-Novosti, as well as Rossiya Segodnya and its general director Dmitry Kiselyov. Additionally, Nelli Parutenko and her organization have been sanctioned for allegedly attempting to influence Moldovan elections through vote-buying schemes.
In response, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov dismissed the allegations as “nonsense,” claiming that RT’s activities are legitimate media operations. Russia’s Foreign Ministry criticized the sanctions as redundant, pointing out that RT had already been subject to previous sanctions.
This move comes amid heightened scrutiny of Russian influence operations in the U.S. and international arenas, particularly in the context of the upcoming U.S. presidential election. The Biden administration has recently targeted Russian efforts to undermine support for Ukraine and to influence U.S. political discourse.
The sanctions reflect ongoing concerns about Russia’s use of propaganda and covert operations to destabilize democratic processes and support its geopolitical goals.