United States Seizes 32 Pro-Russian Misinformation Websites in Significant Disinformation Crackdown
The Department of Justice (DoJ) in the United States revealed on Wednesday the confiscation of 32 website domains utilized by a pro-Russian propaganda operation known as Doppelganger as part of a wide-ranging series of measures.
Accusing the Russian government-controlled foreign misleading influence initiative of breaking U.S. laws on money laundering and criminal trademark infringement, the bureau singled out corporations Social Design Agency (SDA), Structura National Technology (Structura), and ANO Dialog for operating on behalf of the Russian Presidential Administration.
The objective, as it was expressed, is to “clandestinely propagate Russian government propaganda with the intention of diminishing international backing for Ukraine, reinforcing pro-Russian policies and agendas, and affecting voters in U.S. and overseas elections, including the U.S. 2024 Presidential Election.”
The websites taken down by the U.S. government were packed with Russian government propaganda manufactured by the Kremlin to diminish international assistance for Ukraine, reinforce pro-Russian policies and interests, and influence voters in the U.S. and other nations.
The exhaustive list of domains, which imitate respected news organizations like Der Spiegel, Fox News, Le Monde, and The Washington Post, includes –
- tribunalukraine.info
- rrn.media
- ukrlm.info
- faz.ltd
- spiegel.agency
- lemonde.ltd
- leparisien.ltd
- rbk.media
- 50statesoflie.media
- meisterurian.io
- artichoc.io
- vip-news.org
- acrosstheline.press
- mypride.press
- truthgate.us
- warfareinsider.us
- shadowwatch.us
- pravda-ua.com
- waronfakes.com
- holylandherald.com
- levinaigre.net
- grenzezank.com
- lexomnium.com
- uschina.online
- honeymoney.press
- sueddeutsche.co
- tagesspiegel.co
- bild.work
- fox-news.top
- fox-news.in
- forward.pw, and
- washingtonpost.pm
Synchronous with the domain confiscations, the Treasury Department sanctioned 10 individuals and two entities for participating in efforts to influence and undermine trust in the electoral process.
Specifically, it purported that executives at RT, Russia’s state-sponsored news media outlet, secretively recruited unwitting American influencers into its propaganda campaigns. It’s also claimed to have utilized a front organization to hide its own involvement or that of the government.
“At Putin’s directive, Russian firms SDA, Structura, and ANO Dialog employed cybersquatting, forged influencers, and bogus profiles to undercoverly promote AI-generated fictitious narratives on social media,” stated Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco. “These narratives targeted specific American demographics and regions in a strategic effort to undermine our election.”
In agreement, the DoJ also revealed the prosecution of two RT workers for channelling $9.7 million to additionally support covert Russian government messaging and misinformation by distributing thousands of videos through a Tennessee-based content creation agency with the primary objective of instigating discord among Americans.
Legal papers allege that Kostiantyn Kalashnikov, 31, and Elena Afanasyeva, 27, together with other RT employees financed the operations of the agency to publish English-language videos across TikTok, Instagram, X, and YouTube, amassing millions of views. Kalashnikov and Afanasyeva pretended to be an independent editing team.
The company is approximated to have uploaded nearly 2,000 videos since its inception in November 2023, disseminating commentary on topics related to immigration, inflation, and other subjects concerning domestic and foreign policies. The videos have garnered over 16 million views on YouTube alone.
“While the opinions conveyed in the videos are not consistent, most are aimed at the publicly expressed objectives of the Government of Russia and RT — to intensify domestic divisions in the United States,” the DoJ stated, adding that the company “never revealed to its viewers that it was financed and managed by RT.”
The two Russian citizens have been accused of conspiring to breach the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, and conspiring to commit money laundering, which carries a maximum punishment of 20 years in prison.
Additionally, the State Department has implemented a new policy to confine visa issuance to individuals acting on behalf of Kremlin-backed media organizations and utilizing them as façades to engage in covert influencing activities.
It has also labeled Rossiya Segodnya, and offshoots RIA Novosti, RT, TV-Novosti, Ruptly, and Sputnik, as foreign missions, necessitating them to notify the Department of all staff operating in the country, as well as disclose all real estate they possess within U.S. boundaries.
Collectively, these steps indicate a broader effort by the U.S. government to crack down on Russian-supported misinformation schemes ahead of the general election in November.
This development follows disclosures that a Chinese influence operation named Spamouflage has escalated its endeavors to impact online discussions surrounding the U.S. elections, establishing fake identities across social media platforms to promote divisive storylines about sensitive societal topics by leveraging a divided information ecosystem.
“These profiles have initiated and magnified content defaming Democratic and Republican candidates, casting uncertainty on the credibility of the U.S. electoral system, and disseminating divisive narratives on sensitive societal issues such as gun control, homelessness, substance abuse, racial inequality, and the Israel-Hamas conflict,” Graphika explained.
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