Inside RT: Russia’s Covert Weapon Against U.S. Democracy
The Biden administration is gearing up for a bold offensive against the growing global influence of RT (formerly known as Russia Today), the Russian state-controlled media giant. This isn’t just about TV networks anymore — it’s about national security.
Recent intelligence revelations suggest that RT’s involvement in Russian intelligence operations runs deep, far beyond simple propaganda. In fact, RT has been fully integrated into the Kremlin’s covert activities, making it a key player in Russia’s global disinformation strategy.
For years, RT has been seen as a tool for manipulating international perceptions of Russia, subtly — or not so subtly — spreading the Kremlin’s narrative. But new intelligence takes this a step further, revealing that RT is more than just a talking head for Moscow. U.S. officials have discovered that RT houses a secretive unit dedicated to gathering intelligence and conducting influence operations worldwide. This isn’t just about words on a screen; it’s about embedding misinformation into the fabric of society. RT’s role, as exposed by U.S. intelligence, even stretches into military procurement, marking it as an essential cog in the broader Russian intelligence apparatus.
Yes, a ‘secretive espionage unit! ’RT isn’t just another news network — it’s a weapon for the Kremlin. Hidden within its ranks, this covert unit goes way beyond journalism, working as a key part of Russia’s espionage machine. Under the guise of delivering news, this unit gathers intelligence and runs influence campaigns, planting seeds of division in countries that matter to Moscow. Their job isn’t just to boost pro-Russian messages — they’re here to tear apart Western democracies from the inside.
Take the 2016 U.S. election, for instance. RT’s secretive unit didn’t just report on the chaos; they helped create it. They spread disinformation about voter fraud and rigged elections, ramping up public distrust. They pushed hot-button issues like race relations and immigration, fanning the flames on both sides.
It wasn’t just propaganda — it was a calculated effort to pit Americans against each other, making it harder for the country to find common ground. By promoting these divisive stories, RT played a key role in deepening the partisan divide and eroding trust in U.S. institutions.
The U.S. isn’t messing around anymore when it comes to RT. Washington’s gearing up for a full-on diplomatic offensive to let the world know what RT really is: not just some media outlet, but an arm of Russian intelligence, designed to break down democracies, stir up division, and wreak havoc across the West. And they’re ready to make that message loud and clear.
At the upcoming United Nations General Assembly, the U.S. is planning to rally a coalition of nations to confront RT’s influence head-on. Armed with declassified intel about RT’s shady operations, the Biden administration is out to make it a lot tougher for the network to keep playing its global game.
This isn’t a one-off; it’s part of a broader crackdown that’s already seen sanctions on RT’s leadership for meddling in the 2020 election, and criminal charges slapped on some of its employees. Washington’s doubling down, and this fight is just getting started.
I hope the U.S. reminds everyone at the United Nations of RT’s dirty work during the COVID-19 pandemic. They didn’t just report on the virus; they spread wild conspiracy theories and flat-out lies about it, duping a lot of Americans in the process.
RT pushed the idea that Western governments were overblowing the threat just to control people and that vaccines — especially the ones made in the U.S. and Europe — weren’t safe. They fueled the fire of vaccine skepticism and mistrust in health officials, making people question whether they could trust their own government during a global crisis.
This wasn’t just misinformation — it was a calculated move to stir up confusion, pit Americans against each other, and weaken trust in the country’s ability to handle the pandemic. RT’s disinformation campaign played on people’s fears, making them doubt the very institutions meant to protect them. It’s a classic example of how the RT covert unit works to destabilize trust and create division right here at home.
And this whole effort to counter RT feels eerily similar to what unfolds in my spy thriller Mission of Vengeance. In the novel, CIA operative Corey Pearson and his elite team uncover a sinister plot where former KGB agents have established a disinformation center on a Caribbean island.
Their mission? Spread anti-American propaganda and cripple U.S. influence throughout the region. It’s a narrative that mirrors RT’s real-world operations, using media not just as a megaphone, but as a weapon. Pearson’s team faces the challenge of not only exposing these agents but also thwarting their efforts to destabilize the entire Caribbean. It’s a chilling reminder of how disinformation campaigns can be deployed to weaken nations from within.
In the real world, the Biden administration is going after RT as part of a bigger push to stop Russian interference. U.S. agencies like the Treasury Department have already slapped sanctions on RT and its affiliates, while the Justice Department hit them with legal charges, including money laundering and violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).
Even the State Department recently piled on with more retaliatory measures, especially after Russia’s meddling in U.S. elections, and RT’s been front and center in those efforts.
It’s pretty clear by now that RT isn’t just some media outlet — it’s an arm of Russian intelligence. The U.S. government is treating it that way, and this campaign to shut down its influence might just be the beginning of a bigger showdown between the West and Russia’s disinformation machine. If Corey Pearson has taught us anything, it’s this: exposing these secret networks is just the start. The real battle is stopping them before they do even more damage.
Robert Morton is a member of the Association of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO) and authors the ‘Corey Pearson- CIA Spymaster’ series. Check out his latest spy thriller, ‘Mission of Vengeance’.