American Version of Russian State Media Channel RT Shutting Down: Report

The U.S. version of Russian state media channel RT is reportedly halting operations and laying off all its employees, a development that comes as the original Russian channel grapples for space on the internet.

RT America informed staff that it would be "ceasing production" because of "unforeseen business interruption events," according to a memo obtained by CNN. "Unfortunately, we anticipate this layoff will be permanent, meaning that this will result in the permanent separation from employment of most T&R employees at all locations," wrote Misha Solodovnikov, general manager of T&R Productions.

Several companies, social media sites and other platforms have been blocking or restricting access to the Russian version of RT in an effort to halt the spread of Russian propaganda during the assault on Ukraine. President Vladimir Putin has called the invasion a "special operation," but it has provoked international condemnation and unprecedented sanctions from the U.S. and other countries.

RT Deputy Editor-in-Chief Anna Belkina told Newsweek said the company was "sad and disappointed" that RT America is leaving the air and that T&R Productions is ceasing operations "due to challenging external circumstances."

"However, we are working hard to find ways that its staff, which has for many years produced award-winning news and programming content, can remain within RT's international family," she said.

RT did make some progress Thursday in regaining some of the space it lost on the internet. The channel announced that it would begin broadcasting on video site Rumble, which describes itself on its website as a protector of a "free and open internet."

The reports that all production will be halted and all employees will be let go likely signals the end for RT America. T&R Productions, the production company behind RT America, had offices across the U.S., including in New York, Miami and Los Angeles, CNN reported.

Just two major television providers in the U.S. had been carrying RT America, but one of them, DirecTV, said it would be dropping the channel earlier this week. The move reflects a larger effort among companies and organizations to distance themselves from Russia.

Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, and Twitter are among the companies that have cracked down on RT in recent days, along with fellow Russian state media outlet Sputnik, Reuters reported.

Spokespeople at Twitter confirmed with multiple news outlets Wednesday, including Reuters, that it would be taking down the RT and Sputnik accounts on its platform in compliance with sanctions from the European Union.

Meta isn't fully blocking the channels, but it announced Monday that it would be restricting access to them.

"We have received requests from a number of Governments and the EU to take further steps in relation to Russian state controlled media. Given the exceptional nature of the current situation, we will be restricting access to RT and Sputnik across the EU at this time," tweeted Sir Nick Clegg, the former U.K. deputy prime minister who recently became president of global affairs at Meta.

Google, Microsoft, Twitter, TikTok and streaming company Roku have all also taken action against the outlets.

Update 03/04/22, 4:30 p.m. ET: This story was updated with a comment from RT Deputy Editor-in-Chief Anna Belkina.