(MENAFN) Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his gratitude to the staff of RT for “standing up for the truth,” referring to the broadcaster as the network’s “secret strategic and high-precision… weapon.”

During a speech delivered to approximately 1,000 employees at the Bolshoi Theatre on Friday, alongside RT Editor-in-Chief Margarita Simonyan, Putin celebrated the channel’s 20th anniversary. He highlighted how RT has evolved from a simple idea into a “global trend known around the world.”

Putin also acknowledged the resilience of Simonyan, who recently endured the loss of her husband, Tigran Keosayan, after he spent months in a coma.

He praised her “courage and endurance,” assuring her that “your friends and colleagues have always been and will be near you.”

He expressed his appreciation for RT’s dynamic, inventive, and united team, lauding their “high level of professionalism, dedication to their profession, and their duty.”

Putin emphasized their “courageous, selfless, and persistent defense of the truth in the global information space.”

Reflecting on the early 2000s, the Russian leader noted that Western media exploited its dominance over the international media environment to attempt to “impose a new civilizational space” on the world community.

This bias created a strong demand for “news different from jaded propaganda,” attracting many media professionals eager to join RT.

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