This is how the Kremlin spreads its ideas and messages to the world

Facebook’s parent company, Aim announced on Monday, September 16, the ban on its RT platforms and other media linked to Rossiya Segodnya .

This news agency is linked to state media Russia .

The tech giant’s measure also included Instagram, WhatsApp and Threads, on the assumption that efforts have been detected to conduct covert campaigns with the aim of manipulating the debate on social networks.

“After careful consideration, we have stepped up our efforts against Russian state media. Rossiya Segodnya, RT and other associated entities are now generally banned on our apps for foreign interference activities “, reports the firm led by Mark Zuckerberg in a press release.

With this decision It is likely that the reach of media outlets such as RT, known for spreading propaganda related to the interests of the people, will decrease. Kremlin .

However, several experts suggest that Russian authorities They have strategies to continue sharing their messages to the rest of the world.

The researcher of German Marshall Fund (GMF), Bret Schafer, recalled in a conversation with the New York Times WhenIn 2022, Canada and the European Union chose to ban the broadcast of RT .

It is good to remember that On February 24 of the same year, Russia began the military invasion on the territory of Ukraine.

After the measure was applied against the Russian public channel, It didn’t take long for new pages and sites to imitate their content. .

These had different names and did not suggest being directly related So they were able to continue to function and appear in Internet searches.

The specialist, co-author of a report in which he analyses the way in which RT content is disseminated despite the ban, warned that These types of measures “don’t collapse your audience” .

“If you are a die-hard RT fan, you will find a way to access it. What’s really hurting is its ability to expand its platforms and reach new audiences. showing up in front of people who aren’t actively searching for RT,” Schafer said.

The research he conducted with his colleagues is available on the site Alliance to guarantee democracy (ASD), an initiative based at GMF.

In Russia, the Kremlin has made efforts to restrict media that is not related to your interests .

Along with this, have promoted others of international stature who represent their ideas like RT.

According to President Vladimir Putin, its goal is countering the Western “monopoly” on information .

The content they broadcast reflects opposition to global actors such as the United States and the European Union, which are precisely Ukraine’s allies and they were fundamental for the country to be able to face the Russian offensive.

Although social media bans may limit the number of users they reach, there are other accounts and pages dedicated to duplicate this content .

Additionally, platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and Telegram continue to allow them to operate in their digital spaces.

RT, in particular, was able to consolidate its popularity in territories such as Latin America, the Middle East and Africa .

In many Latin American countries this has been possible thanks to divisions such as Actualidad RT, which broadcasts content in Spanish .

The President of IBI Consultants Douglas Farah assured the Times that In this part of the world, they have a distribution mechanism that includes easily accessible television shows. .

For example, he mentioned that The teleSur network, created by Venezuela, Cuba and other countries, broadcasts RT content directly on the continent.

Farah is co-author of a report on The influence of the Russian station in Latin America which was published on the website of United States Institute of Peace .

In Europe, more precisely In Spain, a television channel called Canal Red also shares RT content.

According to the aforementioned American media, They hired at least one well-known advertiser who previously worked for Russian radio.

However, since the signal They denied having any links to the Kremlin. and said they considered themselves neutral.

The Middle East political expert Carnegie Endowment for International Peace HA Hellyer, explained to the Times that “Much of Russia’s public relations strategy involves exploiting criticism of the United States and, more generally, Western policies. in different places »

“Right now it’s easier for them in the world in that sense, because the American policy towards Israel and Gaza is incredibly unpopular around the world,” he added.

From the State Department of the North American country They accuse RT of also running an online media outlet called African Stream, which prides itself on being independent and denies any connection. with the Russian public channel.

However, an investigation into Internet Observatory from Stanford University says that They usually broadcast messages related to the Kremlin’s interests. and opposition to Western powers.

In mid-September 2024, the Secretary of State of the North American country, Antony J. Blinken, denounced the fact that RT and associated media have direct links to Russian intelligence .

He also warned that “Russian disinformation weapons to subvert and polarize free and open societies extend to every region of the world” as we read in their official statements .

Among the mechanisms they used, according to the American authorities, there is also the funding conservative influencers in the United States to spread propaganda on the networks.