Serbia unwilling to block RT’s propaganda: Reporters Without Borders asks EU to take action

Radio Liberty reported the information.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) calls RT "Vladimir Putin's factory of lies" and argues that the EU should take such measures because the local RT Balkan affiliate uses its office in Belgrade to "adapt the Kremlin's narratives" and broadcast propaganda throughout southeastern Europe.

In Serbia, which has not joined the EU sanctions against RT, although it is a candidate for EU membership, Russian media outlets operate freely, RSF reports.

Pavol Szalai, head of the RSF's office for EU and Balkan affairs, told Radio Liberty that the organization calls on the bloc and its member states to resolve this problem during the EU membership talks with Serbia. According to him, the RSF will raise this issue through its channels of communication with the European Commission and member states.

RSF researchers have studied RT's activities in Serbia and stated that thanks to RT Balkan, the Kremlin's war propaganda is "blooming within the borders of the EU."

Szalai emphasized in an interview with Radio Liberty that Serbia's actions contradict its desire to become an EU member: “Entering into the EU means respecting some rules, and these include aligning with EU's security and foreign policy. And now here the situation is clear. Serbia is not respecting this rule. And this is why we said that it should be held accountable by the EU institutions, by the member states in the negotiations.”

According to RSF, there are several reasons why RT chose Serbia as its Balkan office. It is noted that one of them is the long-standing relationship between Russia and Serbia and the shared culture of Slavic heritage and Orthodox Christianity.

RT Balkan "has adapted the Kremlin's narrative to a highly receptive local audience, allowing it to spread more easily across the region," RSF said.

"Perhaps nowhere in the world were we more eagerly awaited than here," said RT Editor-in-Chief Margarita Simonyan in a press release issued during the launch of RT Balkan in November 2022.

RSF's research shows that although RT Balkan does not have a television channel, its website remains the main platform for video content. RSF stated that RT Balkan's editors and columnists "act more like influencers than journalists".

• On September 13, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced new sanctions against Russian propaganda for attempts to "undermine and polarize free and open societies." This refers, in particular, to the RT television company.