With the US presidential election approaching in November, concerns about foreign interference are growing in the US – and with them the flood of allegations against Russian-backed agents of interference.
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) is bringing charges against two employees of a Russian state media company. They are alleged to have paid millions of dollars to inject covert Russian messages into online videos of conservative US influencers.
But what does this actually mean and who is being charged?
Who is involved?
The US Department of Justice alleges that two employees of a Russian state-owned media company called Russia Today (RT) were involved in an elaborate plot in which a US company was hired to create and distribute content containing “hidden messages from the Russian government”.
Two Russian citizens working for RT, Kostiantyn Kalashnikov and Elena Afanasyeva, were charged with conspiracy to violate the law on the registration of foreign agents and money laundering offenses.
The US government said both had worked to spread disinformation about US citizens on social media, including hiring a Tennessee-based company to produce videos containing pro-Russian propaganda.
An offshoot of an “entire empire of secret projects” aimed at influencing public opinion in Western democracies, the US Justice Department alleged that RT’s work, among other things, was aimed at weakening US opposition to Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The US company is not accused of wrongdoing.
The US Department of Justice alleges that wire transfers totalling US$10 million ($14.87 million) from shell companies in Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Mauritius, along with false identities of the two Russians, were used to conceal the truth – namely, that the defendants encouraged and directed Russian interests in commissioning the content.
If convicted of money laundering, Kalashnikov and Afanasyeva face a maximum of 20 years in prison. However, it is unlikely that they will go to trial as both Kalashnikov and Afanasyeva are considered “at large” in Russia.
What was the $10 million used for?
The US Department of Justice argues in its indictment that RT employees paid content creators to create videos aimed at “increasing internal divisions in the United States”.
The English-language videos commented on topics such as immigration, inflation, and US domestic and foreign policy.
According to the Justice Department’s indictment, more than 2,000 videos were posted on TikTok, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter) and YouTube, with a total of 16 million views since November 2023.
Conservative US political commentator Benny Johnson described himself and the right-wing network Tenet Media as targets of the Russian operation in a statement on X.
“A year ago, a media startup approached me to provide content as an independent contractor,” Johnson said.
“Our lawyers negotiated a standard contract at a distance, which was later terminated.
“We are disturbed by the allegations in today’s indictment, which make clear that I and other influencers were victims of this alleged conspiracy,” he wrote.
Mr Johnson has 2.7 million followers on X and 1.6 million on Instagram and regularly posts about US politics in support of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.
Tenet Media’s website describes itself as a “network of heterodox commentators focusing on Western political and cultural issues.”
The FBI had also asked the court for permission to seize 32 Internet domains that it believed were part of Russia’s efforts to exert influence from abroad.
RT responded: “Three things are certain in life: death, taxes and RT’s interference in the US election.”
Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the media company ceased operations in the United States.
Emma Briant, a propaganda and information warfare expert at Monash University, said the sophistication of the Russian operation was cause for concern.
“This is essentially the evidence we have been waiting for. It actually shows Russian support behind a whole host of influential people who are spreading misinformation online,” she said.
Dr Briant said the influencers paid by RT were given the opportunity to deny their actions, but that they were “carrying out Russia’s orders and were hardly hindered by regulations”.
FBI Director Christopher A. Wray said covert efforts to get Americans to “unwittingly consume foreign propaganda” were an attack on U.S. democracy.
Does this happen in Australia?
As the 2024 presidential election approaches, the United States is focusing its efforts on actors backed by Russia and Iran.
But the issue is also an issue in Australia: In July, the head of the Australian Department of Home Affairs ordered a search of all government technologies for foreign cyber threats.
The Counter Foreign Interference Taskforce, established in 2020, has also been made an integral part of the ministry.
Countries such as China, Cambodia, Rwanda and Iran are all seen as sources of foreign interference.
Australia’s foreign intelligence service ASIO released its 2024 threat assessment in February, finding that espionage and foreign interference against Australia are at an all-time high.
ASIO Director General Mike Burgess described at the time an overseas operation to recruit a former Australian politician, whose name was not disclosed, to “promote the interests of the foreign regime”.
In July, a Russian-born Australian citizen who served in the Australian military and her husband were arrested and charged with espionage after being accused of spying for the Kremlin.
The two are accused of gaining access to secret defense material in order to make it available to the Russian authorities.
And as Australia’s next general election looms, ASIO and the government are warning that further attempts by foreign actors to spread disinformation are to be expected.
