Authorities accuse content creators of paying millions of dollars to spread messages favorable to Kremlin interests.
On Wednesday, September 4, 2024, the Ministry of Justice of USA revealed an accusation against two citizens of Russia for helping orchestrate payments of approximately $10 million to a social network called Tenet Media .
Authorities say the transactions were part of a project aimed at using influencers to spread messages favorable to Vladimir Putin’s government .
As saved by New York Times , The Russians were identified as Kostiantyn Kalashnikov and Elena Afanasyeva. who face charges of violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) and anti-money laundering laws.
In the same way, Both are said to be linked to RT, a Russian television channel. which is close to the Kremlin.
Earlier, in early 2022, a few Canadian citizens called Lauren Chen and Liam Donovan had registered a new company in Tennessee which then created Tenet Media .
By November 2023, they had a list of well-known conservative influencers posting original content on your platform.
Among the names in question were some like Benny Johnson, Tim Pool and Dave Rubin .
Once with a creator base, The site began posting hundreds of videos that were then shared on more popular networks. such as YouTube, TikTok, X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and Instagram.
Such content tended to present comments related to Russian interests, as well as conspiracy theories on topics including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, allegations of election fraud, immigration and Covid-19.
U.S. federal prosecutors maintain that this was all part of a secret operation to spread Russian propaganda .
Although Chen and Donovan founded the company that spawned Tenet Media, they have not been charged so far. in this research.
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From the United States, they assure that, In 2016 and 2020, Russia used bot campaigns and fake accounts to influence its audience. from the North American country.
These two years and 2024 have in common the development of presidential elections .
In the case of this last cycle, the votes are scheduled for November and they will be confronted former President Donald Trump (Republican Party) and current Vice President Kamala Harris (Democratic Party) .
It is suggested that the operation accused by prosecutors reflects a change of strategy to influence through networks social.
On this occasion, The influencers already known on the conservative spectrum are those who acquire greater importance .
University of Texas at Austin School of Journalism professor Jo Lukito told the aforementioned American newspaper that The advantage of these Internet personalities is that “they already have a certain level of trust with their audience.” .
“Therefore, if the information can come out of the mouth from an existing influencer, it seems more authentic “, added the academic who studies Russian disinformation.
Although Putin said he preferred Harris to Trump in the 2024 election, his comments were widely dismissed as ironic. .
In fact, in September of the same year, he declared that the current vice-president “He laughs in such an expressive and contagious way that it means everything is going well for him.” .
In the past, in early 2024, he had also said that he preferred current President Joe Biden, since he was a more predictable “old school” politician .
Various international analysts and US intelligence agencies have suggested that The Kremlin actually prefers Trump to be in charge because he is less committed than Biden to supporting Ukraine.
The messages shared by influencers as part of the research were generally critical of the Democratic administration and the country’s foreign policy .
In addition, they tended to support the Republican candidate .
Information gathered by the Times indicates that the federal investigation is part of a broader government plan to combat Russian disinformation, cyberattacks and election interference .
At the same time, it is specified that it was hidden that influencers received money .
They accuse that The transfers – totaling at least $9.7 million – were made through shell companies. located in countries such as Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Mauritius (an East African nation).
When the aforementioned media contacted Chen and Donovan to ask about the case, did not respond to requests for comment .
For his part, Tenet influencers have described themselves as victims of a trap and have denied it after following the instructions of Russian agents.
However, the prosecution reports that Efforts have been made by corporate funders to adopt specific narratives .
And precisely, some of them appeared in the content that they published.
Investigation claims terms of influencers’ agreement allowed them to produce separate content on their own channels, in addition to what they did for Tenet .
University of Tennessee Knoxville School of Journalism scholar Marin J. Riedl told the Times that This case is an example of the lack of regulation. about this.
“Influencers have been around for a while, but there are few rules around their communication and political speech is not regulated at all” .
From the American newspaper They also consulted RT on the situation.
The Russian TV channel responded: “We eat the accusations of the United States Department of Justice for breakfast” .
“With lots of sour cream, usually” they condemned.
Source: Latercera
I am David Jack and I have been working in the news industry for over 10 years. As an experienced journalist, I specialize in covering sports news with a focus on golf. My articles have been published by some of the most respected publications in the world including The New York Times and Sports Illustrated.
