Photo: Ozan KOSE/AFP
The radio broadcasting service “Radio Sputnik”, part of the media holding “Russia Today”, no longer broadcasts in Washington. For years, local radio station WZHF, which has rebroadcast Russian-produced disinformation about its invasion of Ukraine and anti-Semitic content, has been criticized by U.S. lawmakers and civil society activists, Voice of America reports.
American columnist, cartoonist, and writer Ted Rall, who has called himself a “guest” of Sputnik programs, posted a comment on the X media platform on Tuesday: "Biden/Harris say they are fighting for democracy. And yet: Sputnik News US is forced to close today due to Biden/Harris sanctions. My radio show and cartoons for them are shutting down. Like other great shows. I am going off the air with the station at noon."
Journalist Manila Chan wrote on the media platform X on Tuesday, October 15, that she and Rall will resume their YouTube show "after the sanctions that shut down RT+Sputnik".
As first reported by the news site The Desk, Sputnik went off the air this week in Washington and on three radio stations in Kansas City, Missouri.
Last month, the State Department imposed new sanctions on Russian-backed broadcasters, including RT, for raising money to support the Russian military. The sanctions marked the first time the U.S. has accused Russian broadcasters of providing direct and material military support.
"RT wants its new covert intelligence capabilities, like its long-standing propaganda and disinformation efforts, to remain hidden. Our most powerful antidote to Russian lies is the truth. It shines a bright light on what the Kremlin is trying to do beneath the veil of deception," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said last month.
The sanctions do not contain specific bans on programming content, but they make it more difficult for Sputnik to continue buying airtime on American radio stations.
Prepared by: Sergey Daga