(VitalNews.org) – United States prosecutors have accused Russia of paying influencers for right-wing support. The U.S. stated that two Russian nationals that were working for a news network controlled by Vladimir Putin funneled millions of dollars into an American media company that paid right-wing influencers to push favorable narratives about the Kremlin.
Kostiantyn Kalashnikov and Elena Afanasyeva from Moscow were indicted on charges of conspiracy to launder money and for violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act. This all occurred amid accusations from the the Justice Department that Russia was meddling in the 2024 elections.
The two defendants in question worked for RT, a media outlet known as Russia Today which is funded and controlled by the Russian government.
Federal prosecutors said that RT oversaw and financially backed “covert projects,” funneling ten million dollars through a series of shell entities to a Tennessee company that publishes videos on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and X.
The indictment stated, “Many of the videos published by U.S. Company-1 contain commentary on events and issues in the United States, such as immigration, inflation, and other topics related to domestic and foreign policy.”
It continued, “While the views expressed in the videos are not uniform, the subject matter and content of the videos are often consistent with the Government of Russia’s interest in amplifying U.S. domestic divisions in order to weaken U.S. opposition to core Government of Russia interests, such as its ongoing war in Ukraine.”
Although the company name isn’t revealed, it’s said they have a “network of heterodox commentators that focus on Western political and cultural issues.”
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