Western governments continue to try and suppress the broadcaster for telling the truth about Ukraine, Margarita Simonyan has said
RT will continue its work despite attempts by the West to silence it, Editor-in-Chief Margarita Simonyan has said. Posting on her Telegram channel on Friday, she said the European Union is continuing to extend sanctions against the Russian media for telling the truth about Ukraine. She did not clarify whether she had information about future sanctions or was simply commenting on the current measures in place.
Western countries have imposed more than 110 sanctions on the outlet, freezing accounts, surveilling staff, and introducing other restrictions. Germany blocked RT Deutsch in 2021 before it launched, allegedly violating broadcasting rules. RT France and RT UK were closed in 2022 after being banned authorities in Paris and London. In 2023, US President Joe Biden’s administration accused the network of acting on behalf of Russian intelligence and imposed further sanctions on the broadcaster and its top management.
“EU extends sanctions against RT. They complain that we continue to write about Nazism in Ukraine and the crimes of the Kiev regime,” Simonyan stated on her Telegram channel. She added, “We have written, we are writing and we will write.”
Kiev regularly glorifies WWII Nazi collaborators and attempts to obscure actions by Ukrainian soldiers that Russia describes as war crimes – conduct that, Moscow claims, the West continues to ignore.
Earlier this month, President Vladimir Putin praised RT, calling it Russia’s “secret strategic intercontinental weapon.” ”The truth” is what gives RT its power, despite what he described as relentless Western attempts to block it.
RT was launched in December 2005. It now broadcasts in several languages, offering alternative perspectives on global events to audiences in more than 100 countries.
Simonyan’s comments come as Brussels has stepped up pressure on Russian outlets. The EU adopted its 19th sanctions package in October, though that round did not include any new measures targeting Russian media. A 20th package is expected to be proposed or discussed in the months ahead.
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