RT launches Hindi digital operation in India ahead of BRICS Summit

MUMBAI: The news is taking a Hindi turn, as Russia Today (RT) expands its Indian footprint with a dedicated Hindi digital operation, moving beyond its existing English-language offering just days before the BRICS Summit in New Delhi.

RT Hindi has gone live ahead of the September 12–13 BRICS Summit and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s expected India visit, during which he is expected to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The new platform, available at rthindi.com, is aimed at reaching India’s vast Hindi-speaking audience with coverage of India, Russia and global affairs.

The operation has launched with the tagline “Fark nazariye ka”, translated as “The world looks different from here”, signalling RT’s pitch for an alternative perspective in an already crowded news market.

Journalist Runjhun Sharma, Head of News at RT India, is among the prominent faces of the Hindi operation. Sharma has previously been part of Putin’s media pool at high-level summits and has already featured in RT Hindi programming, including a Hindi-language interview with Russian Deputy Ambassador to India Roman Babushkin.

The Russian Embassy in New Delhi has also announced the launch, describing RT Hindi as a new Hindi-language digital news platform. In his interview with Sharma, Babushkin said the initiative would give Hindi-speaking audiences access to information about Russia and international affairs, while also criticising what he described as Western censorship and an ongoing campaign against Russia in the information space.

RT Hindi is also drawing on familiar Indian voices. Former External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid, who hosts RT’s In Conversation With, has written for the Hindi platform, describing India-Russia ties as a steadfast and reliable strategic partnership and extending his wishes to RT for the new initiative.

Ashok Bagriya, CEO of RT India, said the Hindi launch was a natural extension of the broadcaster’s India strategy, pointing to more than 500 million Hindi speakers as the potential audience. He said RT Hindi would take the organisation’s India-focused journalism to a wider Hindi-speaking viewership.

Bagriya also said RT India has significantly expanded its team, with around 50 professionals from across the industry joining the operation. He indicated that the broadcaster could eventually explore additional regional languages, with RT India continuing to serve as the umbrella operation.

RT began its India operation in New Delhi in December 2025, positioning itself as a media bridge between India and Russia. Its India-focused programming has since increasingly featured Indian journalists, political figures and public personalities.

The Hindi launch takes that localisation strategy a step further, putting RT in front of an audience far larger than its existing English-language base. With the BRICS Summit and Putin’s expected visit adding geopolitical heat to the news cycle, RT Hindi is entering the Indian digital news market at a particularly busy moment.