ABSTRACT
In the 15 years of its existence, RT has learnt how to creatively deal with conspiracy theories to rhetorically undermine the positions of the Kremlin's opponents. RT was one of the few state outlets to offer prompt coverage of the story, reporting some of Bellingcat's key allegations which none of the domestic Russian media dared to report. RT's evolution has led to a situation in which, on the one hand, news that does not directly affect Russian interests is carefully reported, whilst conspiracy theories stand as a crucial element of that reporting outsourced to guests or op-ed authors. On the practical side, RT's evolution as both product and navigator of the contemporary media system has a fundamental impact on how the people can go about addressing the phenomenon. RT, for its part, has perfectly evolved to capitalise on such instances of political crisis, when levels of verified information are low or in flux, and levels of institutional mistrust are high.
