CIA Chief Claims Russia's 'Soft Power' on Rise Due to RT, Sputnik Effectiveness

© REUTERS / Carlos BarriaRepresentative Mike Pompeo pauses as he testifies before a Senate Intelligence hearing on his nomination to head the CIA on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., January 12, 2017
Representative Mike Pompeo pauses as he testifies before a Senate Intelligence hearing on his nomination to head the CIA on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., January 12, 2017 - Sputnik International
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Central Intelligence Agency Director Mike Pompeo claimed Russia managed to increase effectiveness of its external influence due to its soft power instruments, including actions in cyberspace and news outlets like RT and Sputnik.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — He referred to "something called the Gerasimov doctrine," which, according to Pompeo, was developed by Russia's Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov in early 1970s.

“His idea was that you can win wars without firing a single shot, with firing a very few shots in ways that are decidedly not militaristic. And that’s what happened. What changes is the cost which effectuates change through cyber and through RT and Sputnik, the news outlets and through other soft means has just really been lowered. It used to be expensive to run an ad on the television station. Now you simply go online and propagate your message, so they have found an effective tool, an easy way to go reach into our system, into our culture to achieve the outcome they are looking for," Pompeo said at the Aspen Security Forum.

RT’s editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan - Sputnik International
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'Dear CIA!': RT Editor-in-Chief Mocks Accusations of 'Kremlin Propaganda'
This was not the first time the CIA focuses its attention on Russian media outlets. In May, CIA spokeswoman Heather Fritz Horniak told RT the involvement of Russian intelligence services in alleged hacking related to the US election was an "established fact," which media outlets like RT would "attempt to muddle." RT and Sputnik Editor-In-Chief Margarita Simonyan said that the claim lacks evidence and "no reputable news organization trusts the CIA. Now that is correct."

Russian media outlets broadcasting in Europe and the United States have been facing a barrage of accusations by Western officials about allegedly spreading fake news and attempting to influence public life.

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer speaks during the daily briefing in the Brady Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, DC - Sputnik International
Podesta Calls Sputnik, RT 'Favored Go-To Sources in White House Press Room'
In January, the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and National Security Agency (NSA) released a report accusing Russia of meddling in last year's US presidential election. The report did not provide any proof, citing confidentiality protocols, while its significant part was focused on RT and Sputnik. Russian President Vladimir Putin, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and other senior officials have repeatedly stated that Moscow refrains from meddling in internal affairs of foreign countries.

In November 2016, the European Parliament voted in favor of a resolution, which said that Sputnik and RT posed a danger to Europe's unity and called for extra European Commission funding for counter-propaganda projects. It also drew a parallel between the Russian media and the propaganda disseminated by Daesh, a terrorist group outlawed in Russia and numerous other states.

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