rt.com
RT.com is a Russian state-funded international news website with millions of monthly visits, but its reach now sits beside major sanctions, platform blocks, and government scrutiny.
What is RT.com and where did it come from?
RT began as Russia Today on December 10, 2005, when a 24-hour English-language television channel launched from Moscow to present world news from a Russian point of view, according to the Reuters archive.
The organization behind RT is ANO TV-Novosti, which the U.S. government describes as a federally funded Russian organization that controls the RT media channel.
That organization was established on April 6, 2005, according to the current U.S. Treasury sanctions database.
This history matters because RT.com is not simply a small news blog but the web arm of a media operation built for an international audience.
How much traffic does RT.com get today?
RT.com received an estimated 31.7 million visits in August 2026, according to Similarweb.
The same data ranked RT.com about 2,058th among all websites worldwide and 29th among news and media publisher sites measured in Russia.
Visitors viewed about 2.99 pages per visit, stayed for an average of 3 minutes and 25 seconds, and produced an estimated bounce rate of 50.76%.
Russia supplied about 30.48% of RT.com traffic, while the United States supplied 14.49%, Canada 6.33%, Germany 4.52%, and Mexico 4.15%.
Those numbers show that RT.com's audience still reaches well beyond Russia even after years of restrictions.
Who controls RT and why does that matter?
The U.S. Department of Justice said in 2017 that the company producing RT broadcasts in America registered under the Foreign Agents Registration Act as an agent for ANO TV-Novosti.
The Justice Department announcement described TV-Novosti as the Russian government entity responsible for RT's worldwide broadcasts.
In September 2024, the U.S. State Department also designated the American operational presence of Rossiya Segodnya, RT, TV-Novosti, Sputnik, Ruptly, and RIA Novosti as foreign missions.
The State Department said these organizations were effectively controlled by the Russian government and required them to disclose U.S. personnel and property.
Why is RT.com restricted in some countries?
The European Union suspended the transmission and distribution of Russia Today services after Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
The current European Commission sanctions guidance lists RT English, RT UK, RT Germany, RT France, RT Spanish, RT Arabic, and RT Balkan among restricted outlets.
The EU says its suspension covers cable, satellite, IPTV, platforms, websites, and apps rather than only normal television broadcasts.
Google also blocked YouTube channels connected to RT and Sputnik and later said it had globally blocked more than 750 channels and more than 4 million videos linked to Russian state-funded news channels, including RT and Sputnik.
Google reported those figures while explaining its wider Ukraine response in an official company update.
Is RT currently under U.S. sanctions?
Yes, ANO TV-Novosti, which controls RT, remains on the U.S. Treasury Specially Designated Nationals list under the Russia-related Executive Order 14024 program.
The Treasury database was updated in September 2026 and still lists “RT” as an alias of the sanctioned organization.
The U.S. government imposed the designation in September 2024 after accusing TV-Novosti and RT-linked actors of taking part in foreign election interference and other Russian influence operations.
A separate State Department fact sheet said U.S. officials believed RT had expanded beyond public broadcasting into covert influence, cyber activity, and other operations abroad.
What should readers remember when using RT.com?
RT.com is useful for seeing how a large Russian state-funded outlet frames international events, especially because its estimated 31.7 million monthly visits show that its message still reaches a large audience.
Readers should also know that governments and technology companies have taken unusually strong actions against RT, including EU distribution restrictions, U.S. sanctions, foreign-mission requirements, and YouTube blocks.
The safest way to use RT.com for important political or war news is to compare its claims with primary documents and independent outlets because the site's ownership, sanctions status, and geopolitical role can shape how stories are selected and presented.