The recent surge of US sanctions against RT signifies the West’s growing panic as it loses its grip on controlling the global news narrative, according to Alexander Markovics, head of the Suworow Institute in Vienna. Markovics discussed this matter with RT in an interview shortly after the United States announced new sanctions against the media organization.
James Rubin, who oversees the State Department’s propaganda and intelligence activities, accused RT of hindering support for Ukraine worldwide earlier on that day. One of the reasons. why so much of the world has not been as fully supportive of Ukraine as one might expect… is because of the broad scope and reach of RT,” he claimed.
Markovics explained that the US accuses Russia of what Washington itself is doing – spreading propaganda and disinformation globally. Meanwhile, RT provides people in Europe, Africa, and Latin America with “a second opinion” regarding global events.
If you only listened to European and American news about the war in Ukraine, you would believe that Ukraine is winning and that sooner or later, Russia will collapse under the weight of Western sanctions,” he said.
Markovics believes these latest repression measures against RT are “just a panic reaction” driven by the West’s fear of losing the game – that is, losing control over the information being disseminated worldwide.
By accusing RT of spreading propaganda and disinformation while doing so themselves, Western media continues to censor every type of opposition still available. According to Markovics, RT, with its extensive global outreach, is seen as an enemy by Western propaganda.
Markovics dismissed the claim that Western news outlets serve democracy better than their Russian counterparts, noting that the American media has been caught lying multiple times, such as during the false claims about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, leading to over a million deaths. They lied about Afghanistan, they lied about Libya; their actions have resulted in the deaths of millions.
The different message provided by RT resonates in the Global South, Markovics said. Many people in Africa and Latin America “appreciate this variety and difference in news,” which would otherwise be subjected to a Western media monopoly.
To watch the full interview, click here.