BBC: RT Trains African Journalists to Spread Kremlin Narratives

A BBC investigation has revealed that Russia’s state-controlled propaganda media outlet RT—banned in the UK, EU, Canada, and the US for spreading disinformation—has been running online journalism courses for reporters in Africa, Southeast Asia, and China.

According to BBC reporting, the Africa program was RT’s “most successful,” attracting more than 1,000 participants from 35 countries, though BBC sources verified only around 300 members in its Telegram group.

Propaganda Framed as Journalism Training

A BBC journalist who enrolled in the course found that it resembled a standard journalism program on the surface—with lessons on interviewing, reporting, and breaking news—but was filled with Kremlin propaganda and disinformation.

Lectures, pre-recorded in Moscow studios, used RT’s own war reports as teaching material. In one, a presenter described Ukrainian soldiers in Mariupol as “neo-Nazis,” echoing the Kremlin’s justification for its invasion of Ukraine.

Another module on “fake news” dismissed the 2018 Douma chemical attack and the 2022 Bucha massacre as “Western fabrications.” The BBC noted that the claims contradict verified investigations by the UN and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, both of which confirmed Russian or Syrian involvement.

RT described itself during the course as an “alternative news source,” claiming Western media waged “political warfare pumped into the living room.”

African Participants Echo Kremlin Messaging

The BBC interviewed several African journalists who completed the program.
One Ethiopian participant, who displayed Vladimir Putin’s photo on his social profile, repeated RT’s denial of atrocities in Bucha, calling them “staged.”

Another participant from Sierra Leone argued that every media outlet has its own “journalistic values and style.”

Graduates were asked to submit stories “not covered by mainstream media”—a phrase the BBC says aligned closely with RT’s anti-Western narratives.

RT Expands Influence in Africa

The BBC reports that RT has established at least seven bureaus in Africa and signed partnerships with over 30 local TV networks to air its content in English, Arabic, and French.

In late 2024, RT’s Editor-in-Chief Margarita Simonyan declared that RT was redirecting its resources to more ‘hospitable’ regions following its ban in the West.

The outlet also works with Russian Houses, Moscow’s official cultural centers abroad, to screen pro-Kremlin documentaries, such as Why I Moved to Russia, which portrays Russia as a haven from Western “decadence.”

Analysts told the BBC this campaign aims to “win public opinion” in Africa by building relationships with journalists who may later be hired or co-opted into broader Russian influence operations.

BBC’s Assessment of RT’s Course

The BBC concluded that RT’s journalism courses serve a dual purpose: projecting soft power and embedding Kremlin-aligned narratives among future media professionals.

Quoting Nigerian journalist Philip Obadji Jr., the BBC wrote:

“The Russians are trying to ensure that narratives from the Kremlin are heard among ordinary Africans—and they do this by directly addressing the people who spread the news: journalists.”