US SOUTHCOM Chief Accuses Russia of Using Sputnik, RT to Bash US Policies

US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) Commander Adm. Kurt Tidd has accused Russia of broadcasting "anti-American propaganda" and criticizing US policies in Latin American states via media outlets such as the Sputnik news agency and the RT TV channel.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — According to the US official, Russia has sought to maintain a presence in the region and collect information about Latin America and the United States over the past year.

"Russia… regularly broadcasts anti-American propaganda in Ecuador, Argentina, and Venezuela via Russian state-owned RT-TV, which also broadcasts to the United States, and via online news and Sputnik Mundo, which is targeted to Latin American audiences. Russia uses this media to create doubts about U.S. intentions and criticize U.S. policies," Tidd said on Thursday in a statement.

"In this part of the world, Russia’s actions are directly connected to its broader global efforts to demonstrate that Russia is a global power capable of challenging U.S. leadership and the established rules-based international system. Russian officials’ rhetoric, high-level political visits, and military-security engagements are designed to displace the United States as the partner of choice in the region," Tidd alleged.

Sputnik is a news agency and radio network with multimedia news hubs in dozens of countries. Sputnik broadcasts through its websites, analog and digital radio, mobile apps and social media. Sputnik newswires in English, Arabic, Spanish and Chinese are available by subscription around the clock.

RT, which first went on air in 2005, is an international news network which broadcasts 24/7 in English, Spanish and Arabic. It has been nominated for three Emmy awards, and was the first news channel to get a billion views on YouTube.