At the beginning of 2025, Russia reshaped its information strategy by introducing new organizational structures and projects based on existing ones, namely: the networks of the television companies Russia Today (RT) and the news agency Sputnik, the Competence Center for Internet Communications "Dialog," the multilingual platform "International Reporters," traditional state mouthpieces of the Kremlin, and the shadow army of internet trolls, "independent" experts, and foreign influence agents.
This was reported by the Ukrainian Foreign Intelligence Service.
The essence of these changes lies in Russia's revival of these media centers and the formation of pseudo-independent platforms through which it spreads its propaganda.
The most significant role in this is played by RT. After the imposition of bans by the EU, the UK, and the US, Russia Today began creating new media projects in Europe, primarily on the internet and social networks. At the same time, in the countries of the Global South, it launched a number of projects using traditional media.
For example, in 2025, the Kremlin allocated 31.1 billion rubles for the maintenance of RT's management structure. The priority is the creation of "guerrilla" projects and their distribution abroad. A key feature of these media is that they are not branded with the RT logo and do not disclose their source. They use AI, social networks, and messengers, and mainly operate on platforms where Russian presence is possible: Telegram, YouTube (via new accounts), platforms like Rumble, and the banned Twitter (now X) in Russia.
In addition, one of the financial and organizational hubs for Russian media operations became the Middle Eastern countries, where media projects associated with RT are functioning. This primarily concerns the channel "Ghaf TV Productions," which employs former Russia Today staff. Another new RT project is the media company "Viory." The company positions itself as an independent agency and does not reveal its connections with Russia. However, this media outlet previously operated in Berlin under the brand "Ruptly," which was placed under Western sanctions.
