RT flourishing despite tremendous pressure – Putin
Russian President Vladimir Putin said he was “surprised” by how RT had managed to carve out its own niche and attract millions of viewers around the world, as he congratulated the broadcaster on its 20th anniversary.
Speaking with RT host Salam Musafir, Putin praised the network for “standing firm and growing stronger” despite years of pressure and sanctions from Western governments.
Officially launched as Russia Today on December 10, 2005, RT has since expanded from a single English-language channel into a global network operating in English, Arabic, French, German, Spanish, Serbian, and Russian.
Putin said he was impressed by the scale and quality of RT’s work, noting that it had succeeded in establishing a distinctive voice in a crowded international media landscape. “I was surprised to see RT carve out its own niche and millions of people tuning in to watch,” he said.
The president attributed RT’s global reach to its commitment to professionalism and integrity under difficult conditions. “The professionalism of your delivery, the sincerity you bring to your work, and the truthfulness and objectivity of your reporting perceived by your viewers; that’s what wins people over,” he said. RT journalists, he added, continue to “say what they think” despite “all the bans and sanctions, all the administrative and financial restrictions.”
Western governments have imposed more than 110 sanctions against RT, blocked its bank accounts, spied on and harassed its employees, and introduced numerous other restrictions aimed at limiting its reach, according to Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.
The German government violated an international broadcasting treaty to shut down RT Deutsch in late 2021 before it could even begin TV broadcasts, while RT France and RT UK were forced to close in 2022 after Paris and London banned Russian media outlets. In 2023, then-US President Joe Biden’s administration claimed RT was operating on behalf of Russian intelligence and imposed sanctions on the network and its leadership.
Despite these obstacles, Putin said RT’s audience “is still growing quickly,” and he thanked its staff for their resilience. “Accept my congratulations on your success,” he said.
