×
Wednesday, January 14, 2026

Russia’s RT Expands to India - newsguardrealitycheck.com

Welcome to Reality Check, NewsGuard’s newsletter that tracks the false claims and conspiracy theories that shape our world — and who’s behind them. Support us by becoming a premium member or sharing our work.

Follow us: X | LinkedIn | Instagram | Bluesky

Vladimir Putin Personally Launches Russian State News Outlet RT in India

By Eva Maitland

What happened: During a visit to India in early December 2025, Russian President Vladimir Putin personally launched the new Indian version of Russian state news outlet RT, in an apparent effort to target Indians with pro-Kremlin propaganda and false claims. According to Russian media, the outlet’s programming will initially focus on content in English (which is widely spoken in India).

Context: RT publishes in six languages and is the Russian government’s most lavishly funded news outlet. NewsGuard has found that it regularly publishes false claims advancing the Kremlin’s interests.

  • Moscow is set to spend $1.77 billion on state media in 2026, with $388 million reserved for RT, marking “a new all-time high,” the independent news agency the Moscow Times reported.

A closer look: Putin attended the RT India launch in New Delhi alongside RT Editor-in-Chief Margarita Simonyan. А video of Putin speaking at the event, posted on a Russian government webpage, shows him describing RT’s mission in India as “Not only [to spread] propaganda about Russia, its culture, and its positions on domestic and international issues,” but also to “share...



Read Full Story: https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMidkFVX3lxTE42Y0ZYTnFOMTRUNDYtSloyeUhK...