TRT has launched a new Russian digital platform, the Turkish state-run broadcaster announced on Sunday.
TRT Russian will “play a key role in battling disinformation and manipulation,” said the TV network, which already broadcasts TRT World in English, TRT Arabic, and TRT German.
“(The new platform) will position itself as a reliable source of news and information with a high-quality reporting approach in societies whose native language is Russian,” it said, which implies that TRT Russian could provide access to Turkic ethnic audiences in Russia and Central Asia.
Along with the launch of a new website, TRT said it would utilise social networks such as YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Telegram.
The online platform comes as Turkey and Russia back opposing sides in the conflicts in Syria and Libya. Russian mercenaries in Libya were reportedly flown away from the front lines of the civil war near Tripoli, after its Ankara-supported government gained ground against the Moscow-backed Libyan National Army in recent weeks.
On the other hand, Turkey and Russia have also expanded their political and economic ties, as exhibited in Ankara’s purchase of the Russian-made S-400 missile defence system, which the United States has opposed and taken action against since the announcement of the deal.