Nicaraguan Vice President Rosario Murillo has sent a message of solidarity to RT editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan, following the recent imposition of US sanctions against key figures in Moscow's media apparatus accused of running an elaborate disinformation campaign.

In a letter dated September 5, Murillo – who is also the wife of President Daniel Ortega – praised Simonyan and her colleagues at RT as “defenders of the Causes of Justice, Truth, Peace and Love". The Nicaraguan leader characterised the US sanctions as "nothing more than another recognition of your merits", positioning the Russian outlets belonging to the state-owned Rossiya Segodnya media group as victims of "the champions of oppression and censorship".

"We congratulate you, Margarita, and all the Comrades of RT, Ruptly, Rossiya Segodnya, and Sputnik, for this new recognition", she wrote, framing the sanctions as an accolade rather than a punishment. She also commended their "excellent job in favour of the Sovereignty, Dignity, Peace and Majesty of the Peoples".

Murillo's message comes in response to a sweeping set of sanctions and criminal charges unveiled by US authorities on September 4. The US Treasury and State Departments announced money-laundering charges against two US-based RT employees, alleging their involvement in a sophisticated disinformation scheme targeting the upcoming presidential election.

According to the indictment, Kostiantyn Kalashnikov, 31, and Elena Afanasyeva, 27, are accused of directing a Tennessee-based company, identified as Tenet Media, to produce online content aimed at stoking political divisions in the United States. The operation, reportedly funded to the tune of $10mn, sought to erode American public backing for aid to Ukraine in its ongoing conflict with Russia and prop up support for former president Donald Trump ahead of the high-stakes November vote. Intelligence officials have previously claimed that Putin authorised influence operations to help Trump in both the 2016 and 2020 elections.

US Attorney General Merrick Garland stated that several prominent right-wing influencers, such as Tim Pool, Dave Rubin and Benny Johnson, were unwittingly recruited into the campaign.

Among those accused of masterminding the scheme is Simonyan, a well-known figure in Russian state media circles and a firebrand supporter of President Vladimir Putin. The RT chief, who regularly appears on state TV pushing the Kremlin’s talking points on the Ukraine conflict and “culture wars,” responded defiantly to the sanctions on social media.

Despite RT's operations being curtailed in numerous countries following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, US prosecutors allege that the network has created an "entire empire of covert projects" designed to shape public opinion in the West. However, after being banned in the EU and UK, the outlet reportedly shifted its focus to the Global South, opening bureaus in several African and Latin American nations.

In this context, last year, the Kremlin mouthpiece forged a strategic alliance with Nicaragua, sparking concerns about the growing importance of Russian propaganda in the region. The country, along with Cuba and Venezuela, ranks among Russia's strongest Latin American allies.

“The [RT-Nicaragua] union reflects the dynamics of the relationship between Moscow and Managua over the past two decades, which is strengthened by the interests of both the Ortega-Murillo and Vladimir Putin,” said Vladimir Rouvinski, associate professor in the Department of Political Studies at Colombia’s Icesi University, in an interview with Diálogo Americas.

RT enjoys significantly greater resources than Nicaragua’s state media due to its direct links with Moscow. This financial and technical advantage could give a boost to the Ortega-Murillo regime’s propaganda efforts at home and abroad as independent journalists are forced into exile.

Costa Rica-based NGO Foundation for Freedom of Expression and Democracy revealed last month that over 260 journalists have been compelled to flee Nicaragua due to persecution since state repression escalated in 2018 following widespread protests against Ortega.

Since assuming power in 2007, the Sandinista leader has jailed hundreds of opponents, eliminated presidential term limits, shut down multiple religious organisations and consolidated control over all branches of the state.

According to the UN, over 300 people died in the government's crackdown on the 2018 protests, which Ortega's administration denounced as a US-backed attempted coup. Today, most independent and opposition media are forced to operate from abroad.