With how the Russia He tries silently to influence but also to win the favor of the world out of the West through propaganda in Russian Mediadeals with an article by the BBC.
Havier Gayard from Chile started his days with classical music on television. But one morning, instead of the familiar melodies, he saw images of war and the “RT” logo, the British media writes. This is the Russian state network Russia Today, that in Chile emits through a private channel, revealing how Russia’s international strategy penetrates television networks around the world.
This case, which presents in his article by the BBC, is indicative of the international strategy of the Russian RT. In the last three years, RT and Sputnik have expanded to Africa, Balkans, Middle East, Southeast Asia and Latin America. At the same time, in the West they are confronted with strict restrictions.
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, extensive restrictions were imposed on RT’s broadcasting on US, the United Kingdom, Canada and all over the EU – as well as large technology companies – to disseminate war misinformation. In 2024, the US authorities imposed sanctions on RT executives, including the editor -in -chief, Margarita Simonian.
This happened in the midst of accusations that the Kremlin organized an extensive intervention campaign in the presidential election. RT denied any involvement.
Despite the pressure, the international presence of Russian media is growing. RT opened an office in Algeria (2023)launched television service in Serbian and launched educational programs for journalists from Africa, India and China.
For its part, Sputnik inaugurated a pension room in Ethiopia, while RT announced office plans in India. All this is done in a period that west of the media limit their presence. The BBC Arabic, for example, interrupted the radio in 2022 and appeared in its place a 24 -hour broadcast of Sputnik on Lebanon.
Two years ago, the BBC closed its Arabic radio service in favor of digital. Since then it has launched emergency services for Gaza and Sudan. In the same year, Sputnik started a 24 -hour service in Lebanon, occupying the air left by the BBC Arabic. At the same time, the US International Voice of America International Service, with government funding, has reduced most of its staff.
The question that remains, however What is Russia’s final plan? And what does this apparent expansion of the influence of the media mean at a time when the world class is changing?
Analysts point out that Russia adapts the content to the public. “Russia is like water: where there are cracks, finds a way to pierce” Stanford’s political scientist, Kathryn Ponner, notes.
Russian Studies Professor Steven Hutsing of the University of Manchester explains that out -of -the -west countries are fertile ground due to anti -American and anti -Western feelings, which RT utilizes. In the West it is considered a propaganda instrument, while elsewhere it appears as a “legal international station”.
OR Russian propagandasupports, is also spreading with a strategy: The content is adapted to address specific audiences, even if that means different ideological positions in different areas.
In the western world, the RT is often considered a “state Russian body and misinformation,” he says. In other parts of the world, however, it is often regarded as a legal broadcasting body with its own line. This makes the public more vulnerable to believe it – ‘not just crazy conspirators who fall naive victims of misinformation“, As Dr. Reese Krilly, Lecturer in International Relations at the University of Glasgow, puts it.
Studies have shown that RT selects themes to enhance specific narratives.
It promotes social upheavals in European countries, while in the Russian news, it emphasizes military exercises.
In addition, it has promoted unfounded allegations, such as that the annexation of Crimea in 2014 was “peaceful reunification” or that the slaughter in the Boutsa in 2022 were “set up”. Nevertheless, research showed that spectators considered the RT bias, but they thought they could distinguish what was true.
Africa and Latin America in the target
The largest recent extension is recorded in Africa. The RT orients his French -speaking channel in African countries while the Sputnik It transmits to English, French and Amaric, the official language of Ethiopia. Moscow utilizes anti -colonial feelings and the Soviet heritage of support in liberation movements, hoping to gain political and economic influence.
At the same time, at Latin America RT is broadcast free of charge in ten countries, including Argentina, Mexico and Venezuela, and is available through cable to so many others. Although banned on YouTube, it finds a way to climb through private channels.
In Buenos Aires, a 52 -year -old carpenter uploads RT excerpts with his own comments, saying that “it gives a comprehensive picture of Latin America and the world.”
The RT claims to reach over 900 million viewers in more than 100 countries and has garnered 23 billion online views in 2024. However, experts consider these numbers excessive and difficult to verify.
Russia’s final plan
Dr. Rasmos Cleisn Nielsen, a professor of communication at the University of Copenhagen, estimates that the Kremlin is trying to “reduce Russia’s relative isolation on the international stage by presenting Russia as a victim of Western aggression and defender of the world”.
The danger, he warns, is that RT and other Russian misinformation efforts exploit weaknesses of liberal democracy, while at the same time legitimizing Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, presenting Russia not as an authoritarian state, but as a “benign” policy.
RT said: “Indeed, we are expanding all over the world”, but did not comment further. Sputnik did not respond to comment requests.
Finally, ends up the BBCHutsings believes that we should all worry about the activities of Russian state media – especially in the context of the future of world class and democracy. The West, notes, is “watching elsewhere” by reducing the funding of the media and leaving “the field open to Russia Today”.
“There is a lot that is played and a lot lost … And Russia is gaining ground – but the battle is not lost.”