WASHINGTON – The staff of Russian state propaganda outlet RT included a team of cyber operatives with ties to Moscow’s military intelligence that masterminded a crowdfunding campaign to buy equipment for Russian troops in Ukraine, Secretary of State Antony Blinken revealed on Friday.
“Thanks to new information, much of which originates from RT employees, we know that RT possessed cyber capabilities and engaged in covert information and influence operations and military procurement as part of RT’s expanded capabilities,” Blinken told reporters at the State Department.
Blinken added that RT leadership, whom the Treasury Department sanctioned last week, “had direct witting knowledge of this enterprise,” which began in the spring of last year.
The cyber unit also collected data on RT’s users, sending sensitive information back to Moscow, according to State Department officials.
“Under the cover of RT, information produced through this unit flows to Russian intelligence services, Russian media outlets, Russian mercenary groups, and other state and proxy arms of the Russian Government,” Blinken said.
What’s more, the secretary added, the unit was also behind an online fundraising campaign that raised thousands of dollars to purchase military equipment for Russian troops invading Ukraine, Blinken said.
“This includes sniper rifles, suppressors, body armor, night vision equipment, drones, radio equipment, personal weapon sites [and] diesel generators,” he listed.
Friday’s revelation came after Attorney General Merrick Garland last week announced the propaganda outlet’s top leadership had been indicted on federal charges of money laundering and failing to register as a foreign agent.
Blinken announced additional punishments for the leaders in his Friday address.
“In addition to imposing sanctions, visa restrictions, and other measures, the State Department also designated the Russian state-funded and directed media company Rossiya Segodnya and five of its subsidiaries, including RT, under the Foreign Missions Act,” Blinken said.
“As a result, these actors are now required to notify the State Department of all personnel working in the United States, as well as their property.”
Blinken said RT’s efforts extended beyond the US, with the outlet most recently playing a role in influencing the Moldovan presidential election, which takes place Oct. 20.
The secretary pushed back against potential claims that RT was being punished for critical journalism, saying that the outlet and other Rossiya Segodnya entities are “merely firehoses of Russian government propaganda and disinformation.”
“We took these steps based on our conclusion that … they are engaged in covert influence activities aimed at undermining American elections and democracies, functioning like a de facto arm of Russia’s intelligence apparatus,” Blinken said.
State Department officials said they modeled their investigation of RT after the Trump administration’s efforts to expose China’s Huawei technology company for its predatory data collection efforts.
That investigation continued past the end of Trump’s tenure and into President Biden’s, and the department aims to do the same with RT, regardless of who wins the Nov. 5 presidential election.
