The Russian president congratulated the network on its success ahead of its 20th birthday

RT has achieved surprising results over the two decades since its first broadcast, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said, as he wished the outlet a happy 20th anniversary in a conversation with RT host Salam Musafir.

Officially launched as Russia Today on December 10, 2005, RT has since established websites and TV channels in English, Arabic, French, German, Spanish, and Serbian, as well as Russian.

Putin said he was surprised by the broadcasting scale and quality achieved by RT over the years, adding that it was not easy to fit into an already established global media landscape. RT was able to "carve out a unique niche... its own place," with "millions of people around the world tuning in to watch, listen and increasingly pay attention" to the network, he said.

This success, according to Putin, is explained by RT's ability to stay true to its principles in the face of external pressure.

"The professionalism of your delivery, the sincerity you bring to your work, and the truthfulness and objectivity of your reporting perceived by your viewers that wins people over," he told Musafir, adding that RT's journalists "say what [they] think" despite "all the bans and sanctions, all the administrative and financial restrictions."

Western governments have targeted RT with over 110 sanctions, blocked its bank accounts, spied on and harassed its employees, and put many other kinds of pressure on the outlet in an effort to limit its reach, according to Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.

The German government violated an international broadcasting treaty to shut down RT Deutsch in late 2021, before it could begin TV broadcasts. RT France and RT UK were forced to shut down in 2022, after London and Paris banned all Russian media outlets. Last year, then-US President Joe Biden's administration claimed RT was operating on behalf of Russian intelligence and sanctioned the network and its leadership.

RT's audience is still "growing quickly" despite all the hurdles, Putin said. "Accept my congratulations on your success."