RT America ceases production and lays off most of its staff

According to a memo obtained by CNN from T&R Productions, the production company behind the Russian state-funded network, RT America will cease production and lay off the vast majority of its employees.

T&R Productions' general manager, Misha Solodovnikov, issued an internal memo informing employees that the company will "cease production" at all of its locations "due to unforeseen business interruption events."
"Unfortunately, we expect this layoff to be permanent," Solodovnikov wrote, "meaning that most T&R employees at all locations will be permanently separated from employment."
T&R Productions had offices in New York, Miami, Los Angeles, and Washington, DC, among other cities.

The announcement would effectively put an end to RT America. DirecTV dropped the network earlier this week, dealing it a major financial blow. It was one of Russian President Vladimir Putin's main mouthpieces in the United States. The satellite carrier was one of the two major television providers in the US to carry the network.

Roku, which provides technology that allows users to stream information over the internet, also announced that RT America had been removed from its platform.
As a result of Russia's unwarranted attack on Ukraine, technological companies and television providers have moved to cut relations with RT, which operates various networks around the world.

RT's numerous networks have also seen several employees officially depart.
According to an email acquired by CNN, RT America staffers in the Washington, DC office were informed on Wednesday that an all-staff meeting would take place on Thursday afternoon.

An individual who attended the meeting told CNN that Solodovnikov presented the news in person to the hosts, correspondents, producers, and others who gathered in RT America's lounge.

"The meeting lasted approximately two minutes," the attendee stated, adding that Solodovnikov informed the gathering personnel that RT America would be ceasing production and that employees would be paid for two months.
The mood was grim, according to the participant, who requested anonymity to discuss internal concerns.

"A lot of folks were taken aback," the source stated. "There were a lot of tears."
On the condition of anonymity, an RT America host informed CNN that she watched as her entire crew was told: "their employment was no longer."

"I've never been more heartbroken," the presenter continued, "since they had nothing to do with this dispute and were honestly just trying to make a decent income to support their families."

A request for comment from Solodovnikov was not immediately returned. RT America's representative did not respond to several requests for comment.