Russia’s Growing Media Influence in Latin America: From Street Campaigns to Covert Operations

Amid political tensions preceding Mexico’s 2024 presidential election, Russia Today (RT) launched an aggressive promotional campaign across Mexico City’s public transportation network. Commuters encountered posters in Metro and Metrobús stations encouraging them to scan QR codes for access to RT’s newscasts, marking a visible escalation of Russian media presence in the region.

The campaign attracted scrutiny from Mexican media outlets, which highlighted that RT had been blocked by the European Union and tech platforms like Google for disseminating pro-Putin narratives and spreading disinformation about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Despite these international restrictions, no similar limitations were imposed in Mexico.

Then-President Andrés Manuel López Obrador publicly defended RT’s right to operate, opposing any restrictions on Russian state media content for Mexican audiences. This permissive approach stands in stark contrast to measures taken in Europe and North America.

In January 2024, RT expanded its influence by hosting a communications workshop in Mexico City as part of its “RT CompaRTe” initiative. According to the Russian state broadcaster, this program has conducted training events in at least eight Latin American countries over the past three years, including Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Cuba, Guatemala, and Panama.

The Club de Periodistas de México, which hosted the workshop, told Factchequeado that “the spaces for RT were completely free” and that participants paid no fees. “In fact, we provided coffee and a modest buffet, covered by the Club,” the organization stated. Workshop topics ranged from source management and research methodologies to artificial intelligence and, ironically, fact-checking.

Venezuelan fact-checking organization Cazadores de Fake News reported that during a similar workshop in Venezuela attended by government-friendly journalists, participants shouted “¡Viva Rusia!” and “¡Viva Putin!” in the presence of channel executives and the Russian ambassador in Caracas.

In Mexico City, the RT workshop was held at a venue led by Celeste Sáenz de Miera, a communications professional known for promoting pro-Russian narratives online. RT and its journalists have repeatedly won awards from the annual journalism contest coordinated by Sáenz de Miera.

RT claims its Spanish-language content currently reaches 18 Latin American countries, with at least 81 cable providers carrying the channel in Mexico alone. While some providers like Izzi have removed RT, others such as TotalPlay continue offering it. The Telsusa network broadcasts RT over open digital television with potential reach to 11 million households across 15 Mexican states.

“Personally, I don’t feel any opposition to RT in any Latin American country,” said Victoria Vorontsova, RT en Español director, during the January workshops. “We are always accused of propaganda, but what we try to do is not propaganda, it’s to tell stories that interest all the peoples of Latin America.”

Beyond these public efforts, multiple reports and legal actions allege covert Russian operations aimed at disinformation and political polarization throughout the region. In September 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice seized 32 internet domains linked to “Doppelgänger,” an operation where Russian companies allegedly cloned government and media websites to spread anti-Ukraine narratives and influence voters in events such as the U.S. presidential election.

“As alleged in our court filings, President Vladimir Putin’s inner circle directed Russian public relations companies to promote disinformation and state-sponsored narratives as part of a campaign to influence the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election,” said then-Attorney General Merrick B. Garland.

Seized documents revealed “Operation México No Perdona” (“Mexico Does Not Forgive”), which aimed to encourage “anti-American sentiment” and exacerbate tensions between the United States and Mexico. While direct connections remain unconfirmed, fact-checkers have observed a surge in disinformation about Mexico-U.S. relations since early 2025, including fake accounts impersonating news outlets and journalists using AI-generated identities.

Factchequeado documented instances where RT and Sputnik spread conflicting narratives in Spanish and English about protests in Los Angeles against migrant raids. Spanish coverage criticized Trump’s immigration policies, while English posts suggested the protests were orchestrated as part of a plot against Trump.

In November 2023, the U.S. State Department warned of Russian operations exploiting media contacts across Latin America to promote “Russia’s strategic interests in the region,” naming several countries including Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Mexico, and Venezuela.

As Russian media influence continues to expand throughout Latin America, questions remain about the impact of these coordinated efforts on public opinion and political discourse in the region, particularly regarding geopolitical issues involving Russia, Ukraine, and the United States.