State Department Imposes Sanctions On Russian State Media Outlet For Suspected Covert Influence

The U.S. State Department has recently imposed sanctions on media outlet RT (formerly known as Russia Today) and its affiliated entities, citing allegations of widespread covert influence.

According to the State Department, the Russian government has integrated a cyber operational entity with ties to Russian intelligence within RT, enhancing their capabilities as part of a broader initiative.

The media groups in question are accused of attempting to manipulate elections and influence public opinion across multiple continents, including Africa, Europe, and North and South America.

In addition, the State Department has disclosed its findings, indicating that Russia is likely to collaborate with RT to disrupt the upcoming October election in Moldova by inciting civil unrest. The statement suggests that the Kremlin and RT actors have conspired to provoke violent protests in Moldova.

Moreover, the State Department claims that Russia has been exploiting RT to destabilize the Argentine government and escalate tension between Argentina and its neighboring countries.

The recent announcement by the State Department specifically names state-owned broadcast agency Rossiya Segodnya, its director general Dmitry Konstantinovich Kiselev, and nonprofit TV-Novosti, which is affiliated with Rossiya Segodnya and exercises control over RT. The announcement also accuses Russian firm Ano Evraziya and its general director Nelli Alekseyevna Parutenko of orchestrating a vote-purchasing scheme in Moldova.

Furthermore, RT is allegedly involved in a crowdfunding scheme through which it acts as a proxy weapons purchaser on behalf of Russia. The State Department suggests that military equipment, including sniper rifles and suppressors, has been surreptitiously imported in small orders from various sources, including the People’s Republic of China, to avoid detection.

The State Department officials reveal that RT operates undisclosed online platforms worldwide, such as the German-based English platform Red (formerly Redfish) and African Stream, which claims to represent the voices of Africans both within and outside the continent.

Commenting on these developments, the State Department has directed U.S. diplomats across the globe to share the evidence documenting RT’s expanded capabilities and its utilization to target individual countries and manipulate the shared information ecosystem.