Russia is officially opening a full-scale bureau of the RT (Russia Today) television channel in New Delhi, which, according to Indian and Western sources, will become the largest foreign representative office of this media structure after Moscow and Washington.
The office, with an area of over 800 m², is located in the prestigious Chanakyapuri district, close to the diplomatic quarter. The opening ceremony on December 4 was attended by Russian Ambassador to India Denis Alipov, RT Editor-in-Chief Margarita Simonyan (via video link), and several Indian politicians from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The Russian side presents the launch as “a step towards strengthening the information partnership” and “an alternative to the Western monopoly in the media space.” Margarita Simonyan said that RT Hindi will broadcast in Hindi and English, with plans to launch broadcasting in three more Indian languages (Tamil, Bengali, and Telugu) in 2026.
However, experts and the Indian opposition see the event differently.
“This is not journalism, this is the creation of an infrastructure of soft power and disinformation in the world’s largest democracy,” Arvid Yadav, former deputy national security adviser to India, told The Wire.
According to sources at Reuters and the Indian portal The Print, approximately $47 million has been allocated for the launch of the bureau and its first year of operation — a record amount for RT’s foreign operations. The bureau already has more than 120 employees, about a third of whom are Indian citizens who have been trained in Moscow.
Narendra Modi’s government officially welcomed the opening, calling it “part of a strategic partnership.” Minister of Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur attended the launch ceremony.
At the same time, the opposition Congress and a number of independent media outlets launched a campaign with the hashtag #KremlinInDelhi. Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi wrote on X (formerly Twitter):
“Today, a branch of Russian propaganda opened in New Delhi. Tomorrow they will be telling Indians why the annexation of Ukrainian territories is a ‘liberation operation’. Democracy should not become a platform for foreign narratives.”
Western diplomats in New Delhi privately describe what is happening as “the most extensive Russian propaganda offensive in Asia since the Cold War.”
Meanwhile, Indian society is divided: some welcome the “alternative point of view,” while others see RT as a threat to the country’s information sovereignty. One thing is clear: since December 2025, a new and very well-funded player has appeared in the Indian media space, speaking Hindi with a pronounced Moscow accent.