U.S. Seizes 32 Pro-Russian Propaganda Domains in Extensive Disinformation Crackdown
The U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) made public on Wednesday the confiscation of 32 internet domains utilized by a pro-Russian propaganda operation known as Doppelganger as a part of a comprehensive array of measures.
Accusing the Russian government-led foreign malign influence campaign of breaching U.S. money laundering and criminal trademark statutes, the department singled out firms Social Design Agency (SDA), Structura National Technology (Structura), and ANO Dialog for collaborating under the direction of the Russian Presidential Administration.
The objective, as outlined by the agency’s statement, is to “underhandedly disseminate Russian government misinformation in order to diminish international backing for Ukraine, boost pro-Russian policies and interests, and sway voters in U.S. and foreign elections, including the U.S. 2024 Presidential Election.”
The online platforms taken down by the U.S. government contained Russian government-driven misinformation concocted by the Kremlin with the intention of diminishing international support for Ukraine, strengthening pro-Russian policies and interests, and steering voters in the U.S. and elsewhere.
The full roster of domains, which imitate legal news agencies such as Der Spiegel, Fox News, Le Monde, and The Washington Post, is as follows –
- 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
In conjunction with the domain confiscations, the Treasury Department imposed sanctions on 10 individuals and two entities for participating in endeavors to sway and undermine confidence in the electoral process.
In particular, it claimed that leaders at RT, Russia’s state-backed news media outlet, clandestinely recruited unwitting American influencers for its campaign activities. It was also alleged to have utilized a front organization to mask its own involvement or that of the government.
“Upon Putin’s orders, Russian enterprises SDA, Structura, and ANO Dialog employed cybersquatting, concocted influencers, and counterfeit profiles to discretely advance AI-generated false narratives on social media,” stated Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco. “These narratives were tailored to specific American demographics and regions with a calculated strategy to undermine our election process.”
Synchronously, the DoJ also declared the indictment of two RT employees for channeling $9.7 million to advance “hidden” Russian government messaging and misinformation by circulating thousands of videos through a Tennessee-based content creation firm with the ultimate goal of inciting discord among Americans.
Legal records allege that Kostiantyn Kalashnikov, 31, and Elena Afanasyeva, 27, alongside other RT personnel, financed the company’s operations to publish English-language videos across various platforms, accumulating millions of views. Kalashnikov and Afanasyeva posed as an external editing team.
The company is estimated to have posted close to 2,000 videos since its inception in November 2023, sharing commentary on topics like immigration, inflation, and other issues concerning domestic and foreign policy. The videos have garnered over 16 million views on YouTube alone.
“While opinions expressed in the videos vary, the majority align with the publicly stated objectives of the Government of Russia and RT — to heighten internal divisions in the United States,” according to the DoJ’s declaration, further noting that the company “never revealed to its audience that it was supported and directed by RT.”
The two Russian citizens have been accused of collaborating in a scheme to violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), carrying a maximum penalty of five years’ imprisonment, as well as a conspiracy to commit money laundering, which could result in a maximum prison term of 20 years.
Moreover, the State Department has implemented a fresh policy to control visa issuance to persons operating on behalf of Kremlin-backed media organizations and exploiting them as a facade to engage in clandestine influencing activities.
It has also labeled Rossiya Segodnya, and its subsidiaries RIA Novosti, RT, TV-Novosti, Ruptly, and Sputnik, as foreign embassies, mandating them to inform the Department of each staff member working in the country and to declare all real estate they own within U.S. boundaries.
Collectively, these actions indicate a wider effort by the U.S. government to crack down on Russian-supported disinformation operations in anticipation of the upcoming general election in November.
The move comes in the midst of revelations that a Chinese influencing campaign known as Spamouflage has intensified its endeavors to shape online discussions surrounding the U.S. elections by fabricating personas across social media platforms to advocate divisive stories on sensitive social concerns, leveraging a polarized information climate.
“These profiles have planted and amplified content criticizing Democratic and Republican candidates, casting doubt on the legitimacy of the U.S. electoral process, and dispersing divisive narratives on sensitive social matters including firearm regulations, homelessness, substance abuse, racial disparity, and the Israel-Hamas conflict,” Graphika outlined.
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