An investigation into the digital infrastructure of Viory, a video news agency registered in Abu Dhabi. Has uncovered extensive backend links connecting the platform with Ruptly. A sanctioned branch of the Russian state propaganda outlet Russia Today (RT). Launched in November 2023 and branding itself as the “video news agency of the Global South”. Viory has rapidly established cooperation, training, and distribution agreements with dozens of national press agencies and universities. Across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. However, despite Viory’s public claims of full financial and operational independence. Detailed technical evidence highlights multiple backend connections suggesting the two entities share the same digital operations.
The technical evidence includes shared server infrastructure, security overlap, and unified data monitoring. Security records indicate that the domain of Viory’s parent legal entity, Darpo Vision FZ LLC, was hosted. Using a wildcard SSL security certificate explicitly registered to Ruptly, a setup that technically requires access to Ruptly’s private cryptographic keys. Furthermore, multiple Russian IP addresses have been concurrently used by both Viory and Ruptly domains. Technical analysis also revealed that three separate Ruptly websites systematically send internal site performance data and error logs directly to a backend project hosted by Viory. Using distinct API keys to consolidate their developer tracking. Additionally, a developer test page for Viory’s main website was found containing source code text. And, a page title directly reading “Stream trending news | Ruptly.”
These structural links carry significant geopolitical weight due to Ruptly’s ongoing legal and financial situation. Owned by RT’s parent company ANO TV-Novosti, Ruptly was effectively choked off from Western funding by European Union sanctions following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Pushing its German subsidiary into insolvency and forcing its core operations back to Moscow. Observers note that Viory provides highly appealing, subsidized raw footage to budget-constrained media outlets in developing countries. Yet its content choices heavily prioritize pro-Kremlin and pro-Beijing narratives, focusing extensively on Vladimir Putin and Russia-China cooperation. While both Viory and Ruptly have issued formal denials rejecting any operational or structural connection. Cybersecurity experts state that the combined weight of the overlapping digital footprints makes alternative explanations highly implausible.
Ultimately, the structural entanglement between Viory and Ruptly reveals a highly calculated effort to bypass international restrictions. Through corporate and technical obfuscation. By leveraging Abu Dhabi as a neutral headquarters and offering heavily subsidized content. The operation successfully created widespread confusion regarding its true origins to embed itself across the Global South. However, the undeniable technical footprints linking its servers and data streams to Russian state media suggest that the agency’s independent branding is merely a front. In conclusion, designed to quietly distribute pro-Kremlin narratives to an unsuspecting global audience.
Reference
Thomas, E. (2026, June 4). Tracing Digital Links Between Viory and Ruptly – bellingcat. Bellingcat. https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2026/06/04/viory-ruptly-rt-russia-uae-propaganda-video-news/