In March 2025, the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) and iStories revealed that RT, a Kremlin-controlled media outlet banned in the EU and sanctioned by the United States, secretly funded a network of “independent” influencers to promote anti-Ukrainian content and portray Russia as a defender of “traditional values.” Among them is Martin Held, an Austrian-born content creator who runs the YouTube and TikTok channel “Russian Road.” The account features videos of foreigners praising life in Russia and frames the West as morally decaying. Financial records show Held received nearly half a million euros from RT’s parent company, TV Novosti, through a firm he controls in Russia. Though previously blocked under the name “Russian Code,” Held’s rebranded channel continues to grow across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. Other influencers reportedly backed by RT include “Sasha Meets Russia” and German Russian commentator Alina Lipp.