The pro-Kremlin TV channel RT will open its branch in Africa, writes Bloomberg. According to the publication, Vladimir Putin is seeking to enlist the support of a continent that has largely refrained from criticizing his invasion of Ukraine.
At Bloomberg's request, RT replied that it was about opening an English-language bureau of the TV channel in the center of South Africa. It will be led by local broadcaster Paula Slier, who previously ran RT's Middle East office.
Before the war, RT was going to open in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. On February 10, the TV channel posted an announcement on its website about the opening of an office and the search for employees. According to Bloomberg, RT's current plans are likely a continuation of pre-war ones. RT did not respond to a request from the publication about plans for Kenya.
Shortly before Putin unleashed a war against Ukraine, the European Union, along with the military and officials, included Russian propagandists on the sanctions list. Among them was the editor-in-chief of RT Margarita Simonyan. At the same time, the British Minister of Culture asked the British television regulator Ofcom to revise the RT license.
In early March, the European Union banned RT and Sputnik from broadcasting on its territory.