Margarita Simonyan, Editor-in-Chief of RT, has admitted to learning from Western nations on how to combat information warfare but emphasized that she would never resort to the tactics used by the United States and its allies, such as the “hidden propaganda of Nazism.” Simonyan’s comments came in an interview with Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper after US tech giant Meta announced the removal of several Russian networks, including RT. Meta accused these outlets of engaging in “foreign interference activity,” much like the accusations leveled by the US State Department.
Simonyan stated that RT would never intentionally harm ordinary people and would refrain from employing tactics akin to those used by the United States, such as covert propaganda promoting fascism or Nazism. She pointed out that RT is being targeted due to its strong presence in the international information space, which remains stable despite Western countermeasures.
The editor-in-chief argued that it is the audience who suffers most from the restrictions placed on RT, as millions of subscribers lose access to their primary sources of information. Simonyan claimed that Meta no longer cares about its subscribers and has become an extension of US intelligence services and what is referred to as the “deep state.
The clampdown by Meta followed another round of sanctions imposed on Russian media by Washington, with State Department spokesman Jamie Rubin attributing RT’s role in undermining support for Ukraine during its conflict with Russia. Simonyan highlighted that it was the US who made this statement and not RT itself.
Simonyan reiterated her belief that the West had been a valuable teacher when it comes to waging information war, but insisted that RT would never engage in betrayal, unlike the United States and its allies.