RT launches Hindi operations in India ahead of Putin’s visit

On September 7, RT launched its Hindi digital operation in India, expanding the Russian broadcaster’s presence beyond the English-language audience it has cultivated over the past year and into India’s much larger Hindi-language news ecosystem.

The launch comes just days before the BRICS Summit in New Delhi on September 12-13, and ahead of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to India, where he is expected to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Hindi expansion marks another step in RT’s growing presence in India.

“Fark nazariye ka” or “The world looks different from here.” That is the tagline RT is using in India. Moscow’s favourite face in South Asia, journalist Runjhun Sharma, who has had access to President Putin’s media pool at high-level summits, is on the launch cover. The tagline seems to be built around the idea that no single perspective can capture India or the wider world, and that there is more than one way to see and understand it. Crucially, it suggests that those perspectives need not always be Western. 

For RT, the Hindi website launch (rthindi.com) now takes that positioning into India’s largest language audience.

Journalist Runjhun Sharma, RT India’s Head of News, recently interviewed Russia’s Deputy Ambassador to India in Hindi, offering an early glimpse of the broadcaster’s new Hindi-language operation. 

The Russian Embassy in New Delhi has also announced the launch, describing it as a new Hindi-language digital news platform.

Speaking fluently in Hindi to RT India’s Head of News, Runjhun Sharma, Russian Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission Roman Babushkin described the initiative as an important one, saying the launch of RT Hindi would allow more viewers to receive reliable and timely information without what he described as Western censorship.

Referring to the global information environment, Babushkin said there was currently a campaign against Russia by Western countries in the information space, along with attempts to involve India in it. In such an environment, he said, there was a need to provide Hindi-speaking audiences with objective and accurate information about Russia.

https://x.com/RusEmbIndia/status/2096206506400354610?s=20

The launch has also received attention from Indian political voices associated with RT India. Salman Khurshid, former Indian external affairs minister and host of RT’s In Conversation With, wrote an op-ed for RT’s Hindi website "India and Russia have together seen many seasons change but have remained steadfast, reliable strategic partnership. As the world continues to be stirred and shaken with the rule based order under stress, the comfort of our friendship is invaluable. My best wishes to RT for this far sighted initiative" 

The progression is clear: RT’s India operation has expanded from an English-language television presence into a broader India-focused media operation involving local journalists, Indian political figures, public personalities, media partnerships and now a dedicated Hindi-language digital platform.

“The launch of RT Hindi digital operations marks a natural next step in RT’s commitment to India, with more than 500 million Hindi speakers,” said Ashok Bagriya, CEO of RT India. “With RT Hindi, we are taking our India-focused journalism to an even wider audience, bringing our coverage of India, Russia and the world to Hindi-speaking viewers. We have also significantly expanded our team, with around 50 professionals from across the industry joining the operation.”

He added that "RT India would remain the umbrella operation as the broadcaster looks to potentially expand its presence across more of India’s regional languages."

When Russian President Vladimir Putin formally launched RT India in New Delhi in December 2025, he did so alongside RT editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan during his India visit. The operation was presented as a new media bridge between the two countries.

RT India began broadcasting from studios in New Delhi in December 2025. The new Hindi platform now takes that India-focused operation into an audience far larger than the English-language market.

RT’s India operation has increasingly focused on localisation, with Indian journalists, political figures and public personalities featuring across its programmes and podcasts. The Hindi website launch extends that localisation further, bringing RT’s India coverage into the country’s largest language audience.

The significance is straightforward: RT is expanding its India presence beyond an English-speaking, internationally oriented audience and building a platform specifically for Hindi-speaking viewers.

The first RT India launch created the platform. Local journalists and Indian voices have helped build its presence. The Hindi operation (rthindi.com) now takes it to a much wider Indian audience.