RT

Russian state media

Background

RT launched in December 2005 as 'Russia Today,' under the umbrella of ANO TV-Novosti, an organization established by Russia's state news agency RIA Novosti, with the stated goal of improving Russia's image abroad. Margarita Simonyan has served as editor-in-chief since its founding. After Russia's war with Georgia in 2008, the network pivoted toward adversarial coverage of Western governments, and in 2009 it rebranded simply as 'RT' — partly, Simonyan later acknowledged, to avoid telegraphing its Russian identity to viewers. In 2010 it adopted the slogan 'Question More,' which critics linked to a growing reliance on conspiracy theories and anti-Western narratives. In 2014, RT's Washington, D.C. anchor Liz Wahl resigned on air, citing Kremlin-driven censorship over Ukraine coverage. After Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the UK revoked RT's broadcast license, the European Union banned it across member states, Meta removed it globally from Facebook and Instagram, and RT America shuttered. The U.S. State Department has characterized RT not merely as a propaganda outlet but as an entity engaged in covert intelligence operations, election interference, and military procurement on Russia's behalf. Academic research on the 2024 U.S. presidential campaign found Russian state media, including RT, consistently framed Trump in favorable terms — as a 'Peacemaker' and 'Disruptor' — a posture that has continued into his second term as his Ukraine and NATO policies have broadly served Kremlin interests.

Sources

1. RT (TV network) - Wikipedia
2. RT | Russia Today, Propaganda, Vladimir Putin - Britannica
3. Alerting the World to RT's Global Covert Activities - U.S. Department of State
4. Why Russia's broadcaster RT turned to covertly funding American pro-Trump influencers - NPR
5. RT – State Media Monitor
6. 20 Years of RT: How Russia's Propaganda Hydra Survived the Ban - United24 Media
7. Meta Bans Russian Media for 'Foreign Interference' - Time
8. Kremlin-Funded Media: RT and Sputnik's Role in Russia's Disinformation - U.S. State Department (PDF)

Profile compiled 2026-07-03; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.

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