“russia today” Is Restructuring Its Budget: from Global Broadcasting to Election Campaigns in the Balkans

“russia today” – a legally autonomous non-profit organization under “tv-novosti” – maintains stable federal funding at around $400 million per year, but a radical restructuring is taking place within this budget: funds are shifting from ineffective global platforms to targeted influence operations in politically vulnerable regions.

The Balkans are a telling indicator of this new strategy. In 2025, funding for Belgrade-based “Balkans Media d.o.o.” increased 7.5-fold – from $2.56 million to $19.13 million. The company was registered in May 2022 and launched the Serbian-language portal rt Balkan as early as November. The aim of this resource allocation is information operations surrounding the snap elections in Serbia and preparations for the general elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina, scheduled for October 4, 2026, when three members of the Presidency, Members of Parliament, and the authorities of both constituent entities – the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republika Srpska – will be elected. In 2025, during the presidential elections in the Republika Srpska, rt Balkan promoted Sava Karan – an ally of Milorad Dodik – as a pro-russian and anti-Western candidate.

In parallel, the total amount of payments made by “tv-novosti” to foreign counterparties rose by nearly 20% – to $73.86 million, compared with $61.55 million a year earlier. Among the largest recipients were: the American DISH Network ($3.68 million), the Turkish Transservice Denizcilik ($3.54 million), the British russia today TV UK Limited, which has had its license revoked ($3.47 million), the Singaporean Inside View London ($3.42 million), and a new counterparty – the American Bixon Studios ($2.77 million). The emergence of new partners in jurisdictions with lower sanctions risk – Turkey and Singapore – indicates a deliberate shift of assets beyond the reach of Western regulators.

At the same time, rt is suffering significant sanctions-related losses in traditional markets. In December 2025, under pressure from new EU restrictions, Berlin-based “Ruptly GmbH” – a “tv-novosti” video agency founded in 2013 as an alternative to Western video content distributors – ceased operations. As early as October 2024, the agency declared bankruptcy; the total irrecoverable losses from the write-off of the German division’s assets are estimated at $1.14 million.

The reporting of “tv-novosti” records a systemic transition from valuable global broadcasting to point instruments of intervention in the internal politics of individual countries, primarily on the eve of election cycles. Losing ground in Berlin and London, rt is building up its presence in Belgrade and establishing new routes through third jurisdictions less vulnerable to sanctions pressure.