Russia Today (RT), the state-controlled Russian multilingual news and media outlet, has faced sanctions across the European Union and the United States due to its role in spreading Kremlin-backed propaganda and supporting Putin’s war in Ukraine. Despite this, RT has adopted various strategies to evade these restrictions and continue disseminating disinformation globally.
Cloning its content and posting it across multiple domains, many of which focus on languages like Spanish, German, and French, is one of its most significant methods. These cloned websites target international audiences with the aim of influencing public opinion, particularly during election periods and in politically sensitive moments.
The role of clone websites in avoiding sanctions
RT operates by pushing narratives that align with the Kremlin’s political agenda, often spreading disinformation, misleading reports, and conspiratorial content. When sanctions by entities like the EU and the U.S. took effect, RT lost its ability to legally operate in several key markets.
This limitation could have drastically reduced its reach, but instead, RT adapted by using a decentralized strategy—cloning its content across multiple new domains. They redirect users from their old addresses and from “friendly new websites” to the new RT domains. And they are dozens.
RT’s cloned websites replicate the website design and the banned content, slightly altering the interface or domain names, including the brand name “RT,” but generally preserving the disinformation at the core of their messaging. Despite attempts to shut it down, RT continues to flood the digital landscape with its propaganda.
List of RT Domains:
- actualidad-rt.com
- annurtv.com
- dert.online
- dert.site
- dert.tech
- es-rt.com
- esrt.online
- esrt.press
- esrt.site
- esrt.space
- esrt.tech
- esrt.website
- freedert.online
- leitertv.com
- rt.com
- rt.rs
- rtarabic.com
- rtbrasil.com
- rtde.life
- rtde.live
- rtde.me
- rtde.site
- rtde.team
- rtde.tech
- rtde.website
- rtde.world
- rtde.xyz
- rteam.tech
- rtenafrique.tv
- rtenfrance.tv
- rtnewsde.com
- rtnewsde.online
- rtnewsde.pro
- rtnewsde.site
- rtnewsde.tech
- rtve.es
- rurtnews.com
Each of these domains hosts content that mirrors RT’s primary platform, effectively duplicating the reach of Kremlin-backed narratives. These websites often evade detection because they operate under different domain suffixes and new URLs, frequently using language-specific domains such as es-rt.com (targeting Spanish speakers) and rtde.tech (targeting German speakers).
Target languages and audiences
RT’s primary focus for its cloned content is on audiences in Spanish, German, and French-speaking countries. These regions are strategically important for RT’s propaganda campaigns, as they represent large and politically significant areas where public opinion can sway elections or major policy decisions.
Spanish-Language RT
RT has aggressively targeted Spanish-speaking nations, including Spain and Latin American countries, with disinformation that aligns with Russian foreign policy interests. RT designs websites like esrt.online and actualidad-rt.com to appeal to native Spanish speakers by presenting its narrative in a culturally relevant manner.
German-Language RT
In Germany, RT’s strategy revolves around influencing a critical European power. Websites like RTDE.life, RTnewsde.pro, and RTDE.website have been key platforms for disseminating Kremlin propaganda in the German language. These sites have played a significant role in spreading disinformation during political events, including European election and German election campaigns.
French-Language RT
French-speaking regions have also become a central target for RT. By using domains like rtenfrance.tv, RT aims to reach French-speaking audiences across Europe and Africa. These websites often mimic the legitimate look and feel of neutral news sources while pushing a pro-Russian agenda.
Impact on elections and public opinion
One of RT’s primary goals in cloning its websites is to influence public opinion, particularly during sensitive times such as elections. RT frequently floods its Spanish, German, and French platforms with content that polarizes audiences, sows distrust in democratic institutions, and favors political parties or candidates sympathetic to Russian agenda.
In countries like Germany and France, RT has been known to amplify anti-EU sentiments, exploit racial and immigration tensions, and promote far-right or populist parties that align with Moscow’s geopolitical goals. Similarly, in Spanish-speaking countries, RT’s content frequently supports narratives that undermine U.S. influence in Latin America while promoting authoritarian regimes that are favorable to the Kremlin.
RT’s evasion of regulatory measures
Despite authorities’ best efforts to curb RT’s influence, the proliferation of cloned websites makes the process of blocking RT content significantly more difficult. Whenever internet service providers (ISPs) take down or block a domain, RT or its affiliates swiftly launch a new clone site under a different name, often hosted in countries with less stringent regulations on internet content. This decentralized structure enables RT to remain resilient against takedown efforts.
Importance of international cooperation in addressing RT’s propaganda networks
Addressing RT’s cloned website strategy requires concerted efforts from both governmental bodies and internet service providers. Identifying and blocking these cloned domains is an ongoing battle, and it is essential for international authorities to cooperate closely to prevent the continued spread of disinformation.
Governments and independent watchdog groups need to continuously monitor emerging domains associated with RT and act swiftly to report and block these sites.
There is also a need for raising public awareness about RT’s tactics, which can reduce the audience for these cloned websites, making it harder for them to effectively spread propaganda and influence readers.
Stricter hosting regulations could also help to enforce anti-disinformation sanctions. Especially in countries that often host these cloned sites, governments can encourage stricter oversight of web hosting services.
Vigilance against state propaganda and disinformation is essential
RT’s ability to clone its content and launch multiple websites highlights the evolving tactics that state-sponsored media use to evade sanctions and continue spreading disinformation. By focusing on major European languages, RT seeks to influence key regions with political, cultural, and economic importance.
This demonstrates the need for stronger, coordinated actions among international authorities to dismantle these cloned networks and prevent the further dissemination of harmful, Kremlin-backed propaganda.
