When your propaganda station gets banned – move it
30 April 2025
That's what Russia has just done by relocating some of its media operations to the United Arab Emirates. The Russian government runs several media organisations directed at the outside world – such as the radio network Sputnik, RT, Russia's answer to BBC and CNN, or the video news agency Ruptly. Almost all of them were sanctioned by the West after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. Websites and social media pages were blocked as they spew misinformation and propaganda.
From the list of the Kremlin’s media empire, the news agency Ruptly stands out as it targets businesses, not regular audiences, by providing video footage for news media companies. Despite its parent company RT’s reputation, Ruptly was used by some respected media outlets.
Ruptly haemorrhaged staff in the first months after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but continued to operate from Berlin until filing for bankruptcy in 2024. Now, according to new reports, Russia has quietly moved Ruptly’s operations to the UAE under a new name: Viory. Based in Abu Dhabi, Viory brands itself as "a news agency for the Global South" offering "the full story."
What it doesn’t advertise is its deep roots in Russian state media. German outlet RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland reports that Viory’s head previously led Ruptly and RT Germany, and The European Correspondent identified several LinkedIn profiles of former Ruptly employees now working for Viory, based in Germany, the UAE, and the US.
 | Sascha Roslyakov After Moscow paid American right-wing influencers to spread its views, RT editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan threatened that they would continue to infiltrate the West in disguise. Even though RT didn’t publicly announce that they are behind Viory today, the rebranded agency still screams Ruptly. Positioning itself as a Global South service fits neatly with the Kremlin’s foreign policy, seeking influence in Africa and elsewhere. Back in 2018, Ruptly offered cheap subscriptions to small newsrooms – €12.50 a month. Viory may be planning something similar, targeting underfunded media in the Global South. In doing so, it offers inexpensive global content – with a twist of Kremlin narrative when convenient. |
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