De-facto arm of Russia’s intelligence: US accuses RT of ‘covert influence activities’; imposes new sanctions

The United States Department of State accused Russian state media of playing a key role in carrying out ‘covert influence activities,’ aimed at undermining the US elections and democracy, at a press conference on Friday(local time).

RT, which was previously known as Russia Today, the state handled media, had “moved beyond being simply a media outlet and has been an entity with cyber capabilities,” read the US Secretary of State, Antony J. Blinken's statement.

The US State Department's further announced that it is launching a diplomatic campaign to warn countries about the dangers posed by RT's activities. They also revealed declassified U.S. intelligence indicating that RT is fully integrated with Russia's global intelligence operations.

“We took these steps based on our conclusion that Rossiya Segodnya and these five subsidiaries are no longer merely firehoses of Russian Government propaganda and disinformation; they are engaged in covert influence activities aimed at undermining American elections and democracies, functioning like a de facto arm of Russia’s intelligence apparatus,” Blinken said.

RT managed crowdfunding

Blinken further claimed that RT’s leadership managed an online crowdfunding initiative aimed at supplying military equipment to Russian forces in Ukraine, alongside their ‘covert influence’ activities.

He stated that, through this campaign, Russian combat units in Ukraine received items such as "sniper rifles, suppressors, body armor, night vision equipment, drones, radio equipment, personal weapon sights, and diesel generators."

The US State Secretary further accused Kremlin backed outlets of 'meddling' with the sovereign affairs of countries around the world.

Antony J. Blinken said RT’s leadership has “leveraged Russian state-funded and directed media platforms to attempt to foment unrest in Moldova likely with the aim of causing protests to turn violent."

He further hinted that RT was likely to coordinate with Russian intelligence services to try to manipulate the outcome of Moldova’s upcoming elections in October 2024.

US Russia relations

The U.S. announcement comes against the backdrop of years of tense relations with Russia due to its invasion of Ukraine. Since the conflict began in 2022, President Joe Biden's administration—known for its strong criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin—has imposed multiple sanctions on Russian individuals and entities.

On September 5, 2024, the U.S. Justice Department unveiled a series of measures aimed at countering Russian interference in the upcoming November election, including criminal charges against two RT employees alleged to be involved in a Moscow-directed influence operation.