Major American social media companies often describe their efforts to identify disinformation and other malicious content propagated by state actors as an unending game of cat and mouse. Recently, these companies took a significant step in this ongoing battle by removing RT and its associated Russian state-owned media networks from their platforms. Media analysts suggest that this move will drastically decrease RT’s audience reach in the short term.
However, experts caution that the Kremlin has demonstrated a remarkable ability to adapt and find new avenues for disseminating its messages when faced with obstacles. For instance, during a previous crackdown two years ago, both Canada and the European Union imposed outright bans on RT. While viewership for channels like RT Deutsch and RT France plummeted immediately, it didn’t take long for new pages to emerge that closely mirrored RT’s content but operated under different, unblocked names. These new pages quickly appeared in internet search results, allowing RT to maintain a level of visibility.
“This does not collapse their audience,” stated Bret Schafer, a senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund. He coauthored a report that scrutinized the continued proliferation of RT content following the earlier bans, which were enacted in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. “If you are a really hardcore RT follower, you’ll find a way to access it,” he added. “What this really hurts is their ability to span platforms, to reach new audiences, and to get in front of people who are not actively seeking out RT.”
Over the past decade, the Kremlin has systematically suppressed independent media within Russia, forcing much of it to relocate or shut down. Simultaneously, it has worked diligently to establish a state-run international broadcasting network aimed at dismantling what President Vladimir V. Putin has labeled a Western “monopoly” on global information. RT stands as the cornerstone of this network.
According to data from CrowdTangle released earlier this year, the online platforms of RT and other related outlets, such as Sputnik, have amassed a staggering global audience of over 88 million followers on Facebook alone. The core message propagated by RT—that the West is an imperialist aggressor—resonates with a significant segment of the population that harbors skepticism towards the United States and Europe.
