russia is expanding its information presence in Central Asia
A new TV channel “Nomad TV” is launching in Kyrgyzstan, which will broadcast russian propaganda.
▫ Previously, media reported that the new brand was created by people from russian media, including former employees of RT and Sputnik. This is now officially confirmed: press releases have been published on russian state resources where “Nomad TV” is directly called a joint Kyrgyz-russian project retransmitting programs from the propaganda channel “NTV.” The “NTV” itself solemnly announced that it “is resuming broadcasting in Kyrgyzstan.”
▫ The launch of the channel also involved structures officially connected to russia. In particular, “Nomad” employees were trained through the “Eurasia” center, which is overseen by propagandist margarita simonyan and the sanctioned oligarch Ilan Shor.
Launching the channel under a new brand is a way to bypass sanctions and distance from the toxic reputation of rt and sputnik. russia tried not to attract unnecessary attention during the preparation stage of the channel launch but now openly emphasizes its involvement. Against the backdrop of the loss of economic influence in Central Asia, the kremlin is betting on informational penetration. And the new TV channel is another tool of this kremlin strategy.
