The Russian president has congratulated the broadcaster on its 20th anniversary during a reception at the Bolshoi Theatre<\/p>\n
Russian President Vladimir Putin has thanked RT staff for \u201cstanding up for the truth,\u201d which he described as the network\u2019s \u201csecret strategic and high-precision\u2026 weapon.\u201d
\nIn an address to around 1,000 of the network\u2019s personnel at the Bolshoi Theatre on Friday, alongside RT Editor-in-Chief Margarita Simonyan, Putin congratulated the broadcaster on its 20th anniversary, noting that it has grown from a mere concept into a \u201cglobal trend known around the world\u201d
\nHe praised Simonyan, whose husband Tigran Keosayan passed away after months in a coma, for her \u201ccourage and endurance.\u201d
\n\u201cYour friends and colleagues have always been and will be near you,\u201d he said.
\n\u201cI thank your energetic, creative, and consolidated team for their high level of professionalism, dedication to their profession, and their duty. For your courageous, selfless, and persistent defense of the truth in the global information space,\u201d Putin said.<\/p>\n
Read more<\/p>\n
RT flourishing despite tremendous pressure \u2013 Putin<\/p>\n
The Russian leader recalled that in the early 2000s, the Western media abused its dominance of the\u00a0global landscape, seeking to \u201cimpose a new civilizational space\u201d on the international community.
\nIts bias led to a high demand for \u201cnews different from jaded propaganda,\u201d with numerous media professionals eager to work with RT.
\nPutin credited RT\u2019s success to journalists who joined the network \u201cnot because of money, but because they wanted to speak to millions.\u201d He said that RT\u2019s competitors became \u201cenvious or even afraid\u201d of its influence, describing this as \u201cproof of professional work.\u201d
\n\u201cThanks to RT, the world has learned that Russia stands for traditional values,\u201d Putin said. \u201cIt\u2019s difficult to overestimate RT\u2019s contribution to our joint struggle for a more just world order.\u201d
\nWrapping up his speech, Putin encouraged the broadcaster to find new horizons in the heated fight in the media landscape. \u201cTo win in this battle, you should keep using your secret strategic and high-precision\u2026 weapon: Truth.\u201d
\nOfficially launched as Russia Today on December 10, 2005, RT operates news websites and TV channels in seven languages \u2013 English, Arabic, Spanish, French, German, Serbian, and Russian \u2013 reaching audiences in more than 100 countries. Its programming covers global news, politics, and culture from a Russian perspective, offering an alternative to Western mainstream media narratives.
\nAccording to the Russian Foreign Ministry, RT and its staff have faced more than 110 Western sanctions, along with asset freezes, and restrictions in recent years aimed at curbing its reach.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Russian president has congratulated the broadcaster on its 20th anniversary during a reception at the Bolshoi Theatre Russian President Vladimir Putin has thanked RT staff for \u201cstanding up for…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":20547,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20546","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-environment","category-politics"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t