RT videos still spreading Ukraine disinformation on YouTube, report finds

RT did not respond to a request for comment about whether it was behind the accounts cited in the study. In a statement to Newsguard, YouTube did not dispute the findings but stated that its teams have removed more than 9,000 channels and more than 85,000 videos related to the war since the conflict began.

A spokesman added that related to the ban on Russian state-funded news channels, more than 800 channels have been removed and 4m videos have been blocked.

One monetized channel identified by the study to be sharing RT-created content is run by a British national living in Russia named Mike Jones. The gamer turned pro-Russia influencer has gained more than 117,000 followers sharing a variety of pro-Putin propaganda, conspiracy theories and disinformation.

Researchers say they were shocked at the sheer scale of disinformation being produced by RT despite global efforts to stem the propaganda machine. The outlet made 50 documentaries in the past year, or about one a week.