RT has played a major role in eroding support for Ukraine around the world, and the network has fundraised to buy weapons for the Russian military, the US State Department claimed on Friday. The US has sanctioned RT’s parent company in response.
In a press briefing in Washington, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken leveled a slew of accusations against RT. Blinken claimed that the outlet operates a range of nominally independent news channels on social media in order to spread pro-Kremlin messaging, that it operates a secretive cyber operations unit linked to Russian intelligence, and that it covertly manages a crowdfunding platform to arm and supply Russian troops fighting in the Ukraine conflict.