Support The Moscow Times!

Russian State Broadcaster RT to Launch U.K. Channel

Kremlin-funded broadcaster RT, formerly known as Russia Today, will on Thursday launch a London-based news channel called "RT UK" and focusing on "the issues that matter most to Britons," the broadcaster announced Wednesday.

The news follows RT's expansion into Argentina earlier this month and a nearly 41 percent increase in funding for 2015 reported in September, which analysts viewed as a reflection of the government's desire to impact opinions abroad.

RT has often been accused in the West of biased reporting in support of the Kremlin's political agenda, such as in a recent documentary that indicated Ukraine was perpetrating genocide against ethnic Russians.

The channel has announced plans to create French and German-language channels to add to its existing English, Spanish and Arabic ones.

RT is under investigation by British media watchdog Ofcom on several claims of allegedly biased reporting and for the use of graphic images, primarily in its reports on the conflicts in Syria and Ukraine.

Read more