By Steve Neavling
The Justice Department charged two Russian media executives on Wednesday in connection with a scheme that allegedly funneled millions of dollars to a Tennessee-based company to create and distribute propaganda videos that amassed millions of views on U.S. social media platforms, The Washington Post reports.
According to a 32-page federal indictment, Kostiantyn Kalashnikov and Elena Afanasyeva, both employees of the Russian state news outlet RT (formerly known as Russia Today), are accused of operating a money-laundering operation that spent nearly $10 million to covertly influence public opinion and fuel social divisions, particularly by blaming Ukraine for the ongoing war with Russia.
Authorities allege that the unidentified U.S. company produced and shared hundreds of English-language videos on social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and X, echoing Russian state narratives. These videos reportedly garnered 16 million views on YouTube alone.
Kalashnikov and Afanasyeva, both Russian nationals who remain at large, face charges of conspiracy to violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act, which carries a maximum sentence of five years, and conspiracy to commit money laundering, punishable by up to 20 years, according to authorities.
In a separate action, prosecutors also seized 32 Russian-controlled internet domains allegedly used in a state-sponsored campaign called “Doppelganger” aimed at undermining international support for Ukraine. Additionally, the Treasury and State departments imposed sanctions on Russian individuals and entities accused of spreading propaganda.
Federal officials noted that Russian operatives, along with other U.S. adversaries, have ramped up their efforts to interfere in elections and politics by leveraging new technologies, including social media and artificial intelligence.
“We’re seeing more and more. It’s coming faster and faster … and therefore it’s a bigger threat than it ever was before,” Attorney General Merrick Garland told reporters at the Justice Department’s headquarters in Washington, where he was joined by FBI Director Christopher A. Wray and other members of the agency’s Election Threats Task Force. “We will be relentlessly aggressive in countering attempts to interfere in our elections and undermine our democracy.”
