The Russian President Vladimir Putin’s two-day visit to India is marked as the first visit since the Ukraine war. Notably, Putin will be launching the state-funded Russian television network’s (RT) India arm on Friday, according to Indian Express (IE). The launch will take place from a temporary studio created at a five-star hotel in New Delhi.
RT Studio’s aim
The RT India studio will start with four daily programmes in English, and its aim is to boost ties between India and Russia, as well as expand “the growing influence” of the two countries in a multipolar world, according to an official statement.
The IE report stated that the RT India studio will be established in the National Capital Region with a team of over a hundred. RT India is considered to be the biggest overseas venture for the Russia Today global Network. The media investment by Russian state media comes amidst a ban on RT by the European Union, announced soon after the start of the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022.
The Moscow-based RT, launched in 2005, was part of a public relations effort by the Russian government to improve the country’s image abroad. Its India arm’s tagline is ‘Not Anti-Western… Just Not Western’.
During a meeting in Moscow for the 26th session of the India-Russia Intergovernmental Commission, Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov discussed the launch with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. Manturov’s office mentioned the establishment of RT India as a significant move to deepen bilateral cooperation across trade, defense, and the information and media space.
Manturov asserted that the channel would ensure “detailed coverage of events in Russian-Indian relations” and “objectively reflect the growing role” of both nations in the global context.
Operating license
While RT is already widely available in India via existing cable packages and holds a news-sharing pact with Prasar Bharati. I&B officials confirmed a separate operating license is not necessary due to RT’s existing presence. However, the uplinking and downlinking permissions required clearance from the Ministry of External Affairs, Home Ministry and the I&B.
