WASHINGTON D.C.—In the wake of sanctions against Russia over its widely condemned invasion of the Ukraine, RT America has decided to shut down its news channel and lay off the majority of its staff.
Since the start of Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine and the imposition of sanctions by the U.S. and the European Union, RT America has been dropped by DirecTV, Roku and others. Platforms like Reddit and Facebook had also banned links to the outlet.
Prior to the announcement that the service would shut down, the National Association of Broadcasters also released a statement urging broadcasters not to air Russia-sponsored content.
The closure was announced by T&R Productions, which operates RT’s sister channel in the U.S.
“As a result of unforeseen events and the interruptions of normal business operations, T&R productions, LLC is currently ceasing all television production work at all of its bureaus throughout the United States,” T&R said in a statement.
The announcement also noted that T&R has laid off the majority of its staff at all locations.
