# RT (Russia Today) Russian state-funded international television network, founded in 2005 as "Russia Today" and rebranded to "RT" in 2009. Registered as a foreign agent in the United States since 2017. RT is the Kremlin's primary English-language propaganda vehicle and has served as both a direct platform for American right-wing figures and the funding source behind covert influence operations targeting the US political ecosystem. ## Function in Russian Information Warfare The 2017 US [[Intelligence Community Hub]] Assessment described RT as the Kremlin's "principal international propaganda outlet" and concluded it played a significant role in Russia's 2016 election interference campaign. RT operates in English, Spanish, Arabic, French, and German — its English-language service is the most relevant to this KB. RT's editorial line consistently amplifies narratives that serve Russian strategic interests: NATO skepticism, Western democratic dysfunction, conspiracy theories about US institutions, and sympathetic framing of Russian foreign policy. It does this while maintaining enough production quality and ideological diversity to attract genuine audiences, distinguishing it from crude propaganda. ## American Right-Wing Figures on RT RT cultivated American right-wing commentators as both guests and paid contributors, lending them legitimacy while amplifying Kremlin-aligned messaging through authentic domestic voices: **[[Michael Flynn]]** — The most consequential RT relationship. Flynn attended RT's 10th anniversary gala in Moscow in December 2015, where he sat next to [[Vladimir Putin]] at the head table. He was paid **$45,000** for the appearance. As Obama's former DIA director and Trump's incoming National Security Adviser, Flynn's presence was an extraordinary propaganda coup. Flynn did not initially disclose the payment on his security clearance forms. **[[Lauren Chen]]** — Canadian conservative YouTuber who wrote directly for RT before co-founding [[Tenet Media]], the vehicle through which RT operatives later covertly funneled $10 million to American right-wing creators. Chen represents the bridge between RT's first-generation strategy (overt state media) and its third-generation approach (covert domestic creator funding). **Other regular guests** included figures from across the American right and left who were willing to appear on Russian state media, typically to criticize US foreign policy, NATO, or the "deep state." ## The Evolution: From Overt to Covert RT's influence strategy evolved through three phases, each documented in this KB: **Phase 1 — Direct state media (2005–2016):** RT broadcast its own programming with Russian state editorial control. American figures appeared as guests or contributors. The relationship was visible and attributable, which limited RT's reach among mainstream American audiences. **Phase 2 — Social media amplification (2014–2016):** RT content was amplified through the [[Internet Research Agency]]'s social media operations and the [[GRU]]'s information warfare units. RT-produced content was repackaged and distributed through fake American social media personas, reaching an estimated 126 million Americans on Facebook alone. **Phase 3 — Covert domestic creator funding (2022–2024):** RT operatives [[Kostiantyn Kalashnikov]] and [[Elena Afanasyeva]] allegedly funneled **$10 million** through a fictional investor ("Eduard Grigoriann") to [[Tenet Media]], paying [[Tim Pool]] ($400K/month), [[Benny Johnson]] ($100K/video), and [[Dave Rubin]] to produce content aligned with Russian interests. The content appeared entirely domestic and organic — no RT branding, no visible Russian involvement. This was exposed by the [[Tenet Media Russian Influence Indictment]]. This evolution represents a significant escalation in sophistication: from broadcasting Russian-branded content, to amplifying it through fake personas, to financing authentic American creators who didn't know (or claim not to have known) who was paying them. ## Foreign Agent Registration and Sanctions RT was required to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act ([[FARA]]) in the United States in November 2017. Following Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, RT was banned or restricted by the EU, UK, Canada, and Australia. US cable and satellite providers dropped RT voluntarily. However, RT content remains accessible online and continues to operate globally. RT's editor-in-chief is [[Margarita Simonyan]]; its sister operation is [[Sputnik News Agency]], whose Washington radio show hired ex-Breitbart reporter [[Lee Stranahan]]. ## Significance RT is the institutional bridge between the Russian state and the American right-wing media ecosystem. Its evolution from overt state broadcaster to covert funder of domestic creators mirrors the broader evolution of Russian influence operations documented in the [[Russia]] record — each generation harder to detect, harder to attribute, and more deeply embedded in authentic American media infrastructure.