As part of a series of coordinated actions across the U.S. Government, the Department of State is taking three steps today to counter Kremlin-backed media outlets' malicious operations seeking to influence or interfere in the 2024 U.S. elections.
Moscow's methods of targeting those it identifies as adversaries are well known – from its illegal and unwarranted invasion of sovereign nations to the unjust imprisonment of innocent persons, to cyberattacks and meddling in foreign elections, to conducting sham elections in Russian-controlled territories of Ukraine.
In addition, we now know that RT, formerly known as Russia Today, has moved beyond being simply a media organization. RT has contracted with a private company to pay unwitting Americans millions of dollars to carry the Kremlin's message to influence the U.S. elections and undermine democracy. Moreover, RT's leadership has direct, witting knowledge of this enterprise.
To counter Russia's state-backed covert influence operations, the Department is acting to hinder malicious actors from using Kremlin-supported media as a cover to conduct such covert influence activities. The Department's actions include introducing a new visa restriction policy, Foreign Missions Act, determinations of RT's parent company Rossiya Segodnya, and other subsidiaries RIA Novosti, RT, TV-Novosti, Sputnik and Ruptly, and announcing a Rewards for Justice offer.
Today's announcement highlights the lengths some foreign governments go to undermine American democratic institutions. But these foreign governments should also know that we will not tolerate foreign malign actors intentionally interfering and undermining free and fair elections. The United States will continue to both expose those state-sponsored actors who attempt to undermine our democratic institutions and hold them accountable for those actions.
