"The devaluation has significantly affected our work: we are getting funding in rubles, but we spend it in foreign currencies. And then, suddenly, the money dwindled twice in just several months! But the expenditures have remained on the same level. Of course we had to cut back on a lot of things, but we tried not to lose audience, we emerged on some alternative platforms," Simonyan said.
"Most importantly, we've lost the great plans that Sputnik had, and they remain unfulfilled for now, while budget restrictions are in place," Simonyan said.
Sputnik is a news agency and a radio with multimedia information hubs in dozens of countries. It includes websites in over 30 languages, analogous and digital radio broadcasting, mobile apps and pages in social networks. The agency’s English, Arabic, Spanish and Chinese news feeds are updated on a 24-hour basis.
RT operates a number of cable and satellite television channels in a number of languages and is directed at a foreign audience. The channels provide 24-hour news coverage, and also air documentaries, talk shows and debates.
