By David DiMolfetta, Cybersecurity Reporter, Nextgov/FCW
The US on Wednesday accused Russia of running a multi-pronged disinformation campaign that targeted US voters ahead of November’s presidential election, announcing a slew of criminal charges and the seizure of several internet domains to push back against the efforts.
The Justice Department unsealed an indictment against Kostiantyn Kalashnikov and Elena Afanasyeva, two Russian state media employees, on grounds that they used some US$10 million wired by the Russian state-run RT news agency to covertly finance and control an unnamed Tennessee-based online content creation firm that pushed out divisive political content to Americans at home.
The Department also seized 32 internet sites that were allegedly controlled by multiple Russian spin doctor companies that answered to the Russian Presidential Administration. One of the firms, Social Design Agency, was previously sanctioned by the Treasury Department for deploying a network of some 60 fake news websites that impersonated legitimate European news outlets.
Treasury on Wednesday also sanctioned 10 others involved in the efforts. “Beginning in early 2024, executives at RT … began an even more nefarious effort to covertly recruit unwitting American influencers in support of their malign influence campaign,” the department said. “RT used a front company to disguise its own involvement or the involvement of the Russian government in content meant to influence US. audiences.”
Among the individuals was RT’s editor-in-chief, who was a “central figure” in the influence operations, Margarita Simonovna Simonyan Treasury said.
The State Department also unveiled a visa restriction policy for any entities owned by or affiliated with RT, including RT parent company Rossiya Segodnya.
Russia’s foreign ministry and the Russian embassy in Washington, D.C. did not immediately return requests for comment. RT deputy editor-in-chief Anna Belkina did not respond to a request for comment.
- Editor’s Note: This news is breaking and will be updated.
