Thanks to the Serbian government's control over media and a favorable political environment, RT (formerly Russia Today) uses its office in Belgrade to adapt Kremlin narratives and spread them throughout southeastern Europe. Reporters Without Borders (RSF), in its explanation of RT Balkan, calls on the European Union and its member states to hold Serbia accountable for hosting the video.

In September 2024, RSF approached RT with questions about the purpose of the new Balkan bureau and its relationship with the Russian government. RT immediately responded sarcastically: “We created RT Balkan with the sole purpose of annoying Reporters Without Borders”. This response underlines the provocative political nature of RT, which positions itself as a counterweight to organizations defending a free, independent and pluralistic press. However, this response also shows that RT is unwilling to be open about its goals or its ties to the government, as would be expected from a truly independent media outlet.

RT Balkan was officially launched on November 15, 2022, as an online broadcaster and multimedia website in the Serbian language. Although the TV channel never operated, RT Balkan quickly became the main tool of Russian propaganda in the Balkans. RT chose Serbia because of historical ties, shared Slavic culture and Orthodox religion, which created a favorable environment for Kremlin propaganda. Also importantly, the Serbian government controls a significant part of the media market, which it uses to spread its own propaganda. RT Balkan employs tactics such as “information laundering”, where disinformation published by RT is turned into “news” and distributed by mainstream media in the region. Through its presence in Serbia, RT actively amplifies Kremlin narratives across the region, particularly through social media and popular Serbian TV channels and newspapers.