Well, good afternoon, everyone. And for those of
you who were traveling, welcome home.
Accurate information is vital to the health of any democracy. It helps citizens
understand the issues and effects -- and events that are affecting their lives.
It empowers them to engage meaningfully in their communities, their country, the
world. When state or non-state actors spread disinformation, material
deliberately meant to deceive or divide our public, they attack the very
foundations of our free and open society.
In March,
I laid out the comprehensive steps the
Administration is taking to
address this threat to our national security and to our national fabric.
First, we’re building a more resilient global information system, where
objective facts are elevated and deceptive messages gain less traction. We’re
doing that by promoting policies and programs that protect a free, vibrant, and
independent press and that foster greater civic and media literacy so that
people can better distinguish fact from fiction.
Third, we’re taking steps to hold accountable those who weaponize disinformation
to undermine our democracy. That’s what we did just last week when the State
Department, the
Justice Department, the
Treasury Department, the FBI took a
series of coordinated actions to counter Russian influence and interference in
our elections and in our democracy.
In addition to imposing sanctions, visa restrictions, and other measures, the
State Department also designated the Russian state-funded and directed media
company
Rossiya Segodnya and five of its subsidiaries,
including RT,
[TV-Novosti] under the
Foreign Missions Act. As a result, these actors are now required to notify the
State Department of all personnel working in the United States as well as their
property.
We took these steps based on our conclusion that Rossiya Segodnya and these five
subsidiaries are no longer merely firehoses of Russian Government propaganda and
disinformation; they are engaged in covert influence activities aimed at
undermining American elections and democracies, functioning like a de facto arm
of Russia’s intelligence apparatus.
Today, we’re announcing that these Kremlin-backed media outlets are not only
playing this covert influence role to undermine democracy in the United States,
but also to meddle in the sovereign affairs of countries around the world.
Thanks to new information -- much of which originates from RT employees -- we know
that RT possess cyber capabilities and engaged in covert information and
influence operations and military procurement. As part of RT’s expanded
capabilities, the Russian Government embedded within RT a unit with cyber
operational capabilities and ties to Russian intelligence. RT’s leadership had
direct, witting knowledge of this enterprise.
Russian Government actors incorporated the cyber capabilities of this unit
within RT in the spring of 2023, which is focused primarily on covert influence
operations around the world. Under the cover of RT, information produced through
this unit flows to Russian intelligence services, Russian media outlets, Russian
mercenary groups, and other state and proxy arms of the Russian Government. One
of its projects is a large, online crowdfunding program in Russia, operating
within RT and through social media channels, to provide support and military
equipment -- supplies, weaponry -- to Russian military units in Ukraine. This
includes sniper rifles, suppressors, body armor, night vision equipment, drones,
radio equipment, personal weapon sites, diesel generators.
While the crowdfunding campaign is out in the open, what’s hidden is that this
program is administered by the leaders of RT. Last week, our government revealed
how RT launders information operations through unwitting Americans to covertly
disseminate Kremlin-produced content and messaging to the American public.
Today, we’re exposing how Russia deploys similar tactics around the world.
In Germany, for example, RT covertly runs the Berlin-based English-language
platform Red, a successor to the now defunct RT-linked platform Redfish. RT also
secretly runs the online platform African Stream across a wide range of social
media platforms. Now, according to the outlet’s website, “African Stream is” --
and I quote -- “a pan-African digital media organisation based exclusively on
social-media platforms, focused on giving a voice to all Africans both at home
and abroad.” In reality, the only voice it gives is to Kremlin propagandists.
RT’s expanded covert capabilities allow it to deepen coordination with
traditional Russian intelligence services as they work to manipulate the outcome
of democratic elections in the United States but also around the world. For
years, RT and its employees have coordinated directly with the Kremlin to
support Russian Government efforts to influence Moldova’s elections, including
the October 2024 presidential election. RT’s leadership has leveraged Russian
state-funded and directed media platforms to attempt to foment unrest in
Moldova, likely with the aim of causing protests to turn violent. We believe RT
will almost certainly leverage its expanded covert capabilities to coordinate
with Russian intelligence services to try to manipulate the outcome of Moldova’s
upcoming election.
As a result of these findings, today we’re imposing sanctions on three entities
and two individuals for Russia’s covert global influence operations, including
interference in Moldova’s democracy and its upcoming elections.
The actions we’re exposing today and the actions we exposed last week do not
incorporate the full scope of Russia’s efforts to undermine democracies -- far
from it. Russian weaponization of disinformation to subvert and polarize free
and open societies extends to every part of the world. In response, today the
United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada are launching a joint diplomatic
campaign to rally allies and partners around the world to join us in addressing
the threat posed by RT and other machinery of Russian disinformation and covert
influence. Under the -- using, excuse me, the internet -- intelligence diplomacy
has become a hallmark of our Administration. I’ve instructed U.S. diplomats
around the world to share the evidence that we’ve gathered on RT’s expanded
capabilities and the ways it’s being used to target individual countries and the
information ecosystem that we share.
Now, each government, of course, is going to decide how it responds to this
threat. But we urge every ally, every partner to start by treating RT’s
activities as they do other intelligence activities by Russia within their
borders.
Now, let me be very clear. The United States respects and champions freedom of
expression, even when it comes to media outlets that wittingly spread government
propaganda, and we’ll continue to lead the world in defending and promoting
media freedom. But we will not stand by as RT and other actors carry out covert
activities in support of Russia’s nefarious activities, and we’ll continue to
respond forcefully to Moscow’s playbook of aggression and subversion, one that
includes invading sovereign nations, fomenting coups, weaponizing corruption,
carrying out assassinations, meddling in elections, and unjustly detaining
foreign nationals.
The great U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis once said, as is well-known,
sunlight is the best disinfectant. RT wants its new covert intelligence
capabilities, like its longstanding propaganda and disinformation efforts, to
remain hidden. Our most powerful antidote to Russia’s lies is the truth. It’s
shining a bright light on what the Kremlin is trying to do under the cover of
darkness. Taking action together with our allies and partners to address this
threat to our democracies is an effective way of pushing back. And today we’re
taking an important step in that direction.
One final related note on a more uplifting subject. A little bit earlier today I
had the opportunity to sit down with Evan Gershkovich. First time I’ve had a
chance to see him since he was freed. We were joined by one of his colleagues
from The Wall Street Journal, which was such a tenacious champion, along with
his family, in pressing for Evan’s release. I know a number of you know Evan.
Anyone who knows him can attest to this: He’s incredibly warm, he’s got a great
sense of humor, but maybe the most striking part of spending time with Evan is
simply how wonderful it feels to see him free, home, where he belongs. I also
keep returning to the fact that Evan, on the form that Russia forced him to fill
out before he was released, asked for an interview with Vladimir Putin. Always
on the job.
We make a lot of great things in this country, but one of the greatest things we
make is our journalists. Their professionalism -- your professionalism -- the
unshakable commitment to seeking the truth, is a service not only to our people
and our democracy, it’s a service to the entire world.
Evan’s freedom is also a reminder of all Americans who are still held hostage or
wrongfully detained. And as I said when we first secured the release of Evan, of
Paul, of Alsu and others, for them and for their families of those who remain
detained, there are tough days when they will question if they ever get their
freedom back. My pledge to them is the same one that I made to Evan and to the
dozens of other Americans whose release we’ve secured these last few years.
We’ve not forgotten you; we will not forget you; and we will not rest until we
get you home where you belong.
Thanks very much.
Original Text Source: State.gov
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