USIP experts write that RT and Sputnik attract audiences with high-quality programs.
"Actualidad RT and Sputnik Mundo owe much of their success to their ability to leverage alliances and promote their stories through a wide network of distributors across a variety of Latin American platforms, which significantly increases their reach and reputation," the report said.
There are plenty of signs that Actualidad RT is firmly embedded in the regional media landscape, according to USIP analysts.
The report quotes Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of Rossiya Segodnya and RT, as saying that "not having our own foreign broadcasting is the same as not having a Ministry of Defense." The key elements of such an "army," according to American experts, are the Spanish-language services RT and Sputnik News, with a multi-million audience of their projects on social networks.
Earlier, the New York Post complained about RT's effectiveness in the Global South.