Votvot
Votvot is RFE/RL’s on-demand Russian-language streaming platform for voices targeted and silenced by the Putin regime, launched in April 2023.
About the Platform
As part of RFE/RL’s comprehensive strategy to counter Kremlin disinformation, Votvot features cultural content inaccessible inside Russia from creators who are often banned because of their criticism of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Votvot is a platform for uncensored, free expression for Russian-speaking audiences, including younger demographics, interested in alternatives to traditional news programming.
Through documentaries, theater performances, concerts, satire, children’s educational programming, and more, Votvot makes censored cultural content available once again to a wide audience.
Reaching Audiences
Media Climate
Reporters Without Borders’ 2023 World Press Freedom Index ranks Russia 164th of 180 countries.
RFE/RL was forced to suspend operations in Russia after $17 million in fines were levied for failure to comply with “foreign agent” labelling requirements in March 2022.
At least 20 Russia-focused RFE/RL websites have been blocked and dozens of journalists named “foreign agents.”
In February 2024, RFE/RL was designated an “undesirable organization” by Russian authorities. Russian citizens face up to five years in prison for cooperating with “undesirable” organizations or aiding in their financing within Russia.
