The kremlin’s Shadow Media Network: a New Strategy to Influence the Minds of EuropeansThe kremlin’s Shadow Media Network: a New Strategy to Influence the Minds of Europeans

In early 2025, russia reformatted its information strategy by introducing new organizational structures and projects based on existing ones, namely: the russia today (rt) television network and the sputnik news agency, the “dialog” competence center in the field of online communications, the “international reporters” multilingual platform, the traditional state mouthpieces of the kremlin and the shadow army of internet trolls, “independent” experts and foreign agents of influence.

The essence of the changes is that russia is reanimating these media centers and forming on their basis pseudo-independent platforms through which it spreads its propaganda.

The most important role in this is played by “rt”. After the introduction of bans by the EU, the UK, and the USA, “russia today” began to create new media projects in Europe, mainly on the Internet and in social media. At the same time, it launched a number of projects in the Global South using traditional media.

For example, in 2025, the kremlin allocated 31.1 billion rubles to maintain the “rt” management structure. The priority is to create “partisan” projects and distribute them abroad. A key feature is that such media are not labeled with the “rt” brand and do not disclose their own source, using AI, social networks, and messengers. They operate mainly on the Internet, on platforms where russian presence is possible: Telegram, YouTube (through new accounts), platforms like rumble, as well as the blocked in the rf Twitter (now X).

Besides, the Middle East has become one of the financial and organizational centers of russian media operations, where operate media projects related to “rt”, such as first of all the “Ghaf TV Productions” TV channel, where former employees of “russia today” work. Another new project of “rt” is the “Viory” media company. The company positions itself as an independent agency and does not advertise its ties to the rf. However, this particular media outlet used to operate in Berlin under the “Ruptly” brand, which came under Western sanctions.