The United States government has accused the leadership of the Russian state media group RT (Russia Today), including Margarita Simonyan, of attempting to influence the outcome of the U.S. presidential election through disinformation and has imposed new sanctions.
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Ten individuals and two organizations have been added to the sanctions list. The restrictions apply to Russia Today and its affiliated media outlets, RIA Novosti and Sputnik.
According to the U.S. Treasury Department, since early 2024, RT's leadership has secretly attempted to recruit American social media influencers, who were unaware of their true intentions. "Margarita Simonovna Simonyan is the Editor-in-Chief of RT and a central figure in Russian government malign influence efforts. She allowed the operations of a front company to occur under the cover of RT," the Treasury Department said in a statement.
As reported by the BBC, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland stated that Moscow sought to achieve "the desired result" in the race between U.S. presidential candidates Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. John Kirby, the White House National Security Council's strategic communications coordinator, added that the Russian operation aimed to "reduce international support for Ukraine, bolster pro-Russian policies and interests, and influence U.S. voters."
"RT is no longer just a propaganda arm of the Kremlin. It is being used to facilitate covert Russian influence operations," Kirby said.
The sanctions include visa restrictions and the freezing of assets in the U.S. Additionally, U.S. authorities seized 32 internet domains that were being used to covertly distribute false narratives generated by artificial intelligence.
Simonyan responded to the sanctions on Telegram, commenting, "They woke up."
