Moscow, Nov 11 (IANS/EFE): Russia has launched an ambitious global media project aimed at providing "an alternative viewpoint on world events", state-run media holding company Rossia Segodnya said.

Sputnik International, which replaces the English-language RIA Novosti service, will operate via local radio stations and websites in 30 countries.

"We believe in a diverse, multicultural world, and we have many allies. To promote this outlook our media group is launching a new global brand, Sputnik," Dmitry Kiselev, director-general of Rossiya Segodnya International Information Agency, said Monday.

"We think that the world is tired of the unipolar point of view," he said in a clear reference to the US.

With a mission to tell "untold stories", Sputnik's intended audience is made up of people who are "tired of aggressive propaganda" and want a "different perspective", according to Kiselev, a supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin.