Officially launched in Prague this month, the "Current Time" channel targets an audience of more than 270 million people, mostly in former Soviet regions, with news and views that provide an alternative to the Kremlin's version of events as channeled through state-controlled media.

The new channel's launch comes as relations between Moscow and the West have hit their lowest point since the Cold War, triggered by Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine and its military campaign in Syria a year later.

Suspicions also linger in the West about the extent to which the Kremlin may be using the internet and other means to spread fake news that could boost the popularity of pro-Russian politicians, thereby destabilizing NATO and the EU.

Moscow has been quick to denounce the new channel, with prominent Kremlin-appointed talk show host Dmitry Kiselyov labeling it a scam.

It is "...mostly money laundering under the guise of fighting Russian propaganda," he said on Russian state television last week, without elaborating or offering any proof of fraud.

RFE/RL, which reaches 23 countries in 26 languages, has launched the venture jointly with the Washington-based Voice of America. As the official U.S .international broadcaster, VOA targets more than 236 million people a week in more than 45 languages.

Current Time executive editor Kenan Aliyev told AFP that the new station, known as Nastoyashcheye Vremya in Russian, has similar aims to win viewers in Vladimir Putin's Russia.

"Our ambition is to gain the audience in this important region which has lately been bombarded by a lot of disinformation, lies and propaganda," he said. "We feel there is a need for objective news and we will try to provide this type of service to our audience."

Current Time programming ranges from breaking news to business, documentaries and even cooking shows. Coverage of issues like poverty, corruption and healthcare also features prominently.

Some programs focus specifically on the Baltic states, Moldova and Ukraine, all of which were under Moscow's thumb during Soviet times and even now are home to significant ethnic Russian populations.

The station broadcasts via satellite, cable and the internet from Prague, where RFE/RL has been based since its 1995 relocation from Munich.

"Most importantly, we do social media and digital coverage for audiences that are particularly hard to reach, such as those in Russia," Current Time director Daisy Sindelar told AFP.

U.S. funding could be threatened under Trump administration

RFE/RL President Thomas Kent says that while the U.S. Congress has approved funding for "decades," possible federal cost-cutting under President Donald Trump could affect programming.

Current Time's operating budget for this year is €9.5 million.

"We hope that the uniqueness of what we do will help preserve our funding," Kent told AFP.

Similar channels that operate free of Kremlin control include the BBC's Russian language service, which is setting up a new office in Riga.

Ethnic Russians make up a quarter of Latvia's population of two million people. Authorities in Riga are concerned that Moscow is trying to target the country's largest minority with propaganda designed to destabilize the Baltic, NATO and EU state.

Last April, Latvia banned broadcasts by Russian-language TV channel Rossiya RTR for six months, claiming it had incited hatred and made anti-Ukrainian statements.