French-British satellite operator broadcasts Kremlin propaganda and military recruitment ads to Russia and occupied Ukraine

One of the world's largest satellite operators, the French-British company Eutelsat, continues to air Russian propaganda and military recruitment advertisements, international NGO Reporters Without Borders (RSF) disclosed to The Insider. RSF had previously pursued legal action against the regulator responsible for approving these broadcasts.

RSF notes that Eutelsat owns the critical satellite 36D, which covers about 30% of households in Russia and countries in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), such as Belarus and Kazakhstan. Using this satellite, Russian authorities broadcast hundreds of Kremlin-backed channels on two Russian paid television platforms — Tricolor and NTV-Plus.

Although public outcry previously forced Eutelsat to remove channels sanctioned by the EU, the remaining channels continue to broadcast Kremlin propaganda and military advertisements. The French-British company has also disregarded Ukrainian sanctions, which target the NTV-Plus platform and 16 other Russian channels. The satellite’s coverage extends over Ukraine and its occupied territories, meaning the European company is facilitating the transmission of Kremlin narratives in areas where Russia is actively engaged in aggressive warfare. The screenshots below, taken by RSF on Dec. 18, show content broadcast within Eutelsat’s coverage zone.