RTVI Expands Its Footprint: Launches New Broadcasts in Mali Amid Growing Influence in Africa

The Russian television channel RTVI has commenced broadcasting in Mali through the country’s leading provider, Malivision, as announced by the channel on Tuesday.

This initiative expands RTVI’s audience to approximately 3 million viewers in Mali, marking another step in a broader strategy by Russian media outlets to enhance their presence across Africa.

“The channel’s debut in Mali strengthens its influence in Africa and opens new avenues for growth,” stated Andrei Popov, RTVI’s global distribution director.

He also mentioned that the channel intends to increase collaboration with local service providers in the region.

Since 2022, RTVI claims to operate in 64 nations and unrecognized territories throughout Africa, according to CEO Dmitry Suryanin.

Although the channel primarily focuses on Russian-speaking viewers, its entry into Mali indicates an intention to diversify its messaging.

RTVI has ties to Sergei Chemezov, who leads the state-owned defense firm Rostec and worked alongside Putin in the KGB during the Cold War in Dresden.

“We lived in the same building and were in touch both in professional and personal capacities,” Chemezov has publicly remarked about their past connection.

RTVI was reestablished in 2017 with financial backing from Israeli businessman Aaron Frenkel, who has collaborated with Rostec on various ventures.

However, a 2021 report by the exiled media outlet Proekt suggested that Chemezov was the real driving force behind the funding.

According to Proekt, the channel’s UK copyright holder, Brenrose Limited, was headed in 2018 by Kirill Ganin, who was also working for companies linked to Rostec. That same year, Tatyana Druzhneva, a former executive at a Rostec contractor, was appointed as RTVI’s executive director.

In 2019, ownership shifted to Mikayel Israyelyan, an American entrepreneur of Armenian descent with no prior connections to Russian media.

Sources cited by Proekt alleged that Israyelyan might have purchased the channel for another party.

A former high-ranking official familiar with Chemezov indicated to Proekt that the Kremlin regarded RTVI as a “liberal project” beneficial for presenting a controlled image of media diversity.

“There was a need to demonstrate that freedom of speech exists in Russia,” the official commented, while noting that the channel “remained linked to the security services and took directives from Putin.”

Rostec has denied any association with RTVI.