On Wednesday, the US announced sprawling actions that targeted the efforts by the Russian government-backed malign influence campaign in America, among them sanctions on 10 individuals and two entities. It also included the seizure of 32 Internet domain names used in the operation and charges against two employees of RT, a Russian state-run media outlet previously called Russia Today.
The persons named were RT's Editor-in-Chief Margarita Simonova Simonyan, Deputy Editor-in-Chief Elizaveta Yuryevna Brodskaia and Anton Sergeyvich Anisimov, another RT Deputy Editor-in-Chief.
Indicted as employees of RT were Kostiantyn Kalashnikov, 31 and Elena Afanasyeva, 27.
They had utilized a US company, based out of Tennessee, to design and publish content for the dissemination of misinformation. That company was funded by RT, the US Department of Justice has alleged. They remain at large. These two have been indicted on the charges of violating a US law that requires foreign agents to register with the government for money laundering.
"The Department of Justice is seizing 32 internet domains that the Russian government, and specifically Russian government-sponsored actors, have used to engage in a covert campaign to interfere in and influence the outcome of our country's elections," Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said.
He said, "As alleged in our court filings, President Vladimir Putin's inner circle, including Sergei Kiriyenko, directed Russian public relations companies to promote disinformation and state-sponsored narratives as part of a campaign to influence the 2024 US presidential election."
He cited an internal planning document prepared by the Kremlin, which said that the objective of the campaign was to "secure Russia's preferred outcome in the election."
According to the Attorney General, the seized sites were "filled with Russian government propaganda that the Kremlin had created to try to undermine international support for Ukraine, to prop up pro-Russian policies and interests and to impact the choices of voters in this country and around the world.".
Treasuries Secretary Janet Yellen announced the designation of 10 individuals and two entities: "Today's action demonstrates the US government's continued resolve to hold state-sponsored actors accountable for attempts to degrade confidence in our institutions."
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, "In response to Russia's state-sponsored covert influence operations, the Department is taking action to thwart malign actors from using Kremlin-backed media as a conduit to conduct such covert influence activities. The actions taken by the Department include the imposition of new restriction policy on visa, Foreign Missions Act determinations of RT's parent company Rossiya Segodnya, other subsidiaries RIA Novosti, RT, TV-Novosti, Sputnik and Ruptly, and an announcement about Rewards for Justice offer".
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