U.S. imposes new sanctions against Russian propaganda: Blinken notes RT's global influence

The Guardian reports.

“Today, we’re imposing sanctions on three entities and two individuals for Russia’s covert global influence operations, including interference in Moldova’s democracy and its upcoming elections, he said.

According to him, the actions that the United States exposed today and the actions that were exposed last week “do not cover the full scope of Russia's efforts to undermine democracy.”

Blinken noted that the media group Russia Today, which includes agencies like RIA Novosti and Sputnik, essentially operates as a branch of the Russian intelligence apparatus. 

He also emphasized that the Russian TV channel RT had participated in influence operations worldwide, specifically attempting to interfere in Moldova's presidential elections.

Russia’s weaponization of disinformation to subvert and polarize free and open societies extends to every part of the world. In response, today, the United States, United Kingdom and Canada are launching a joint diplomatic campaign to rally allies and partners around the world to join us in addressing the threat posed by RT and other machinery of Russian disinformation and covert influence,” he stated.

According to CNN, the U.S. State Department released previously classified intelligence data indicating that the RT television network is fully integrated into Russia's global intelligence operations. As a result, the State Department is launching a diplomatic campaign to inform countries about the risks associated with RT's activities.

U.S. intelligence discovered that for over a year, the Russian government had embedded an intelligence-gathering unit within RT, conducting influence operations on a global scale.

“Under the cover of RT, information produced through this unit flows to Russian intelligence services, Russian media outlets, Russian mercenary groups, and other state and proxy arms of the Russian government,” Blinken said.

The Secretary of State also claims that RT executives managed online crowdfunding efforts to supply military equipment to Russian occupiers in Ukraine. They reportedly acquired sniper rifles, silencers, bulletproof vests, night vision devices, drones, radio equipment, optical sights for personal weapons, and diesel generators.

Asked for comment by CNN, RT responded with a mocking email that read in part: “We’ve been broadcasting straight out of the KGB headquarters all this time.”

For reference. RT (formerly Russia Today) is a Russian state-owned multilingual television network aimed at foreign audiences. Established in 2005, it is funded by the Russian government and headquartered in Moscow. The channel broadcasts in English, Arabic, Spanish, Russian, and German and is frequently exposed for its systematic propaganda.

• On September 13, the EU member states considered three proposals to change the sanctions regime against Russia in order to provide Ukraine with $50 billion in aid from the proceeds of the frozen assets of the Russian central bank.