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Russian Senator Says Attacks on RT, Sputnik, Other Russian Media Fall in Context of US Election

23:01, 13 September 2024

Kirill Kurevlev

Managing Editor

Earlier in the day, the US Treasury Department announced new sanctions on the Russian media group Rossiya Segodnya and its Director General Dmitry Kiselev for their roles in alleged covert influence operations, as well as on the Russia Today broadcaster.

Sputnik

All attacks on RT, Sputnik, and other Russian media are in the context of the election campaign in the US, the Russian Federation Council's deputy speaker told RT.

Konstantin Kosachev of the Russian parliament's upper house explained to RT that the US position is currently weakening around the world, while domestic problems are growing.

The American authorities are "nipping freedom of speech in the bud" in the US, he noted.

"And this means that the American system is a colossus with feet of clay because it cannot withstand the competition of positions, the competition of opinions, the competition of points of view, and the results of analysis. Yes, for the US, this is a mortal danger. And no, this is not a danger, but on the contrary—a blessing for everything that we call freedom of speech, freedom of thought, and freedom to express one's points of view on what is happening in the world. And the United States of America in this sense is hopelessly behind and has come into conflict with the trends on which the modern world is developing and living," he said.

According to Kosachev, as the main source of those problems, RT is named, among others. "And I have no doubt that this hysteria will only grow as we approach the presidential elections on November 5," he noted.

"It is very difficult for government officials to justify what has happened to the United States of America over the past four, ten, or 20 years. Because the United States of America's position in the world is clearly weakening and its internal development problems are clearly growing. So they need to look for a foreign cause [for the problems]," Kosachev explained.

According to him, Russia and China are identified as global problems, and RT is the source of the Americans' "current problems."

RT Editor-in-Chief Says Her 'Life Was Not in Vain' as New US Sanctions Spotlight Work

13 September, 22:43

Earlier in the day, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the United States imposed new sanctions against three entities and two individuals for their alleged disinformation campaign on Russia’s behalf.

The Treasury Department issued a general license authorizing wind-down transactions with Russia’s Rossiya Segodnya and TV Novosti through November 13 after it imposed full blocking sanctions against the two entities.

However, the US State Department said that the blocked Russian media outlets may continue to engage in journalism and media operations not prohibited by US sanctions.

Blinken also noted that the United States, Great Britain, and Canada are launching a "diplomatic campaign" against RT, in particular.