Russia launched a new state-run international broadcaster Monday that aims to offer an alternative for people who are "tired of aggressive propaganda promoting a unipolar world and want a different perspective," according to its press release.
The new multimedia group, Sputnik, will include news agencies and radio stations and is built on the foundations of the international service of state news agency RIA Novosti, which was liquidated at the end of last year by presidential decree and replaced with an umbrella organization called Rossiya Segodnya (which translates as "Russia Today").
From next year, Sputnik will broadcast in 30 languages from "multimedia hubs" established across the former Soviet Union and in other major cities, including London, Paris, Washington, Rio de Janeiro, Berlin, Buenos Aires, Kabul and New Delhi, each employing from 30 to 100 people, the agency said.
Dmitry Kiselyov, the vehemently anti-Western host of a political news show who was appointed head of Rossiya Segodnya upon its creation, said Sputnik's editorial policy would revolve around the idea of a multipolar world, in an apparent reference to what he and other Russian pundits have criticized as U.S. hegemony.
"We are against the aggressive propaganda that everybody is fed with and that imposes a unipolar model of the world," he said during a presentation ceremony at the Rossiya Segodnya office Monday.
"We will say what others are silent about. The world is tired of one country thinking of itself as exceptional," Kiselyov said.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.