The Russian channel RT may be marginalized in Europe, but it is very successful in Latin America. This is also due to the crisis of journalism in the region.
A young, blonde journalist is sitting on the gray couch, which stands out in the TV studio, to drag out the shots of the conservative president of Colombia, Ivan Dunke, who, as he claims, uses police violence to confront the popular mobilizations in his country. The journalist speaks quickly, often with subtle or even less subtle irony. It has already gained an audience, not only in Colombia, but throughout Latin America.
This is Ina Afinogenova. He was born in the Caucasus, but speaks fluent Spanish, without “accent”. Today she is a prominent Russian influencer in Latin America. Her YouTube channel has joined Actualidad RT, the Spanish-language subsidiary of the Russian broadcaster RT. With 30 million followers on Twitter and YouTube, Afinogenova stands out. As for RT, it may be considered synonymous with Kremlin propaganda in the rest of the world and especially in Europe, but in Latin America it still enjoys an excellent reputation.
“Very good working conditions”
Jorge, who used to work for RT and for this report has changed his name, as he prefers not to be identified, explains why: “When I went to Moscow for the first time, I found working conditions that simply do not exist in my country. “, says. “I had a good salary, my own house, in addition they gave me the opportunity to travel for reporting abroad and mainly in Latin America. In our media, reporting is ignored or becomes very one-sided. “RT was different, so it became very attractive to us journalists.”
In Latin America, Russia is traditionally considered an “awe-inspiring rival” to the United States. Vladimir Putin has visited the region several times and occasionally seeks to increase Russian influence, for example by sending large quantities of pandemic vaccines in recent years. RT en Español is rebroadcast by 70 television stations and has gained a reputation similar to that of the BBC and Deutsche Welle. This is of course due to the general crisis that the journalistic profession is going through in most countries in the region. As Martin Besera from Argentina, a communications and media expert, points out, “We Latinos have become accustomed to the media treating information as propaganda. The media system is characterized by concentration in a few hands, commercialization and polarization in information. “The media will either be loyal to the government, or they will belong to specific families, who are trying to serve their political and economic interests.”
What changes with the war in Ukraine?
As in the rest of the world, so in RT en Espaňol the war in Ukraine overshadows everything, although the point of view is different. RT en Espaňol viewers learn that the target of Russian military operations is the alleged “Nazi threat” to Ukraine and that the war crimes in the city of Buca were a “disorientation maneuver”. However, in Latin America, Twitter and YouTube have blocked RT content. Martin Banja, a historian at the University of Buenos Aires who studies Russia’s relations with Latin America, believes that the war in Ukraine has changed the overall outlook of many Latin Americans. “It is one thing to identify with an anti-American and anti-Western rhetoric as leftist and progressive and another to support Putin’s invasion,” Banya said. “Most of the Left clearly condemns the Russian attack …”
DW – Ane Herberg / Giannis Papadimitriou
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