The U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) on Wednesday announced the seizure of 32 internet domains used by a pro-Russian propaganda operation called Doppelganger as part of a sweeping set of actions.
Accusing the Russian government-directed foreign malign influence campaign of violating U.S. money laundering and criminal trademark laws, the agency called out companies Social Design Agency (SDA), Structura National Technology (Structura), and ANO Dialog for working at the behest of the Russian Presidential Administration.
The goal, it said, is to "covertly spread Russian government propaganda with the aim of reducing international support for Ukraine, bolstering pro-Russian policies and interests, and influencing voters in U.S. and foreign elections, including the U.S. 2024 Presidential Election."
Among the methods Doppelganger used to drive viewership to the cybersquatted media domains encompassed the deployment of "influencers" worldwide, paid social media ads, and the creation of social media profiles posing as U.S. (or other non-Russian) citizens to post comments on social media platforms with links to the domains in an attempt to redirect unsuspecting viewers.
The sites dismantled by the U.S. government were filled with Russian government propaganda created by the Kremlin to reduce international support for Ukraine, bolster pro-Russian policies and interests, and influence voters in the U.S. and other countries.
The complete list of domains, which mimic legitimate news outlets like 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
Concurrent with the domain seizures, the Treasury Department sanctioned 10 individuals and two entities for engaging in efforts to influence and undermine confidence in the electoral process.
Specifically, it alleged that executives at RT, Russia's state-funded news media publication, covertly recruited unwitting American influencers into its campaign efforts. It's also said to have used a front company to conceal its own involvement or that of the government.
"At Putin's direction, Russian companies SDA, Structura, and ANO Dialog used cybersquatting, fabricated influencers, and fake profiles to covertly promote AI-generated false narratives on social media," said Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco. "Those narratives targeted specific American demographics and regions in a calculated effort to subvert our election."
In conjunction, the DoJ also announced the indictment of two RT employees for funneling $9.7 million to further "hidden" Russian government messaging and disinformation by disseminating thousands of videos via a Tennessee-based content creation firm with an ultimate aim to sow discord among Americans.
The name of the company was not disclosed, but evidence points to it being Tenet Media, which describes itself as "a network of heterodox commentators that focus on Western political and cultural issues."
Court documents allege that Kostiantyn Kalashnikov, 31, and Elena Afanasyeva, 27, along with other RT employees financed the company's operations to publish English-language videos across TikTok, Instagram, X, and YouTube, racking up millions of views. Kalashnikov and Afanasyeva masqueraded as an outside editing team.
The company is estimated to have posted nearly 2,000 videos since its launch in November 2023, sharing commentary related to immigration, inflation, and other topics related to domestic and foreign policy. The videos have been watched over 16 million times on YouTube alone.
"While the views expressed in the videos are not uniform, most are directed to the publicly stated goals of the Government of Russia and RT — to amplify domestic divisions in the United States," the DoJ said, adding the company "never disclosed to its viewers that it was funded and directed by RT."
The two Russian nationals have been charged with conspiracy to violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison, and conspiracy to commit money laundering, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
Furthermore, the State Department has instituted a new policy to restrict visa issuance to individuals acting on behalf of Kremlin-supported media organizations and using them as cover to engage in clandestine influence activities.
It has also designated Rossiya Segodnya, and subsidiaries RIA Novosti, RT, TV-Novosti, Ruptly, and Sputnik, as foreign missions, requiring them to notify the Department of all personnel working in the country, as well as disclose all real property they hold within U.S. borders.
Taken together, the actions signal a broader push by the U.S. government to clamp down on Russian-backed disinformation operations ahead of November's general election.
The development comes amid revelations that a Chinese influence operation dubbed Spamouflage has ramped up its efforts to influence online discourse around the U.S. elections, creating fake personas across social media platforms to push divisive narratives about sensitive social issues by capitalizing on a polarized information environment.
"These accounts have seeded and amplified content denigrating Democratic and Republican candidates, sowing doubt in the legitimacy of the U.S. electoral process, and spreading divisive narratives about sensitive social issues including gun control, homelessness, drug abuse, racial inequality, and the Israel-Hamas conflict," Graphika said.
Update
Following the indictment, YouTube has stepped in to take down Tenet Media's channel and four others operated by its owner Lauren Chen as part of its ongoing efforts to combat coordinated influence operations, according to The Washington Post.
Meta Blocks RT and Other Russian State Media
Meta, on September 16, 2024, banned Russian state-owned media accounts, including RT, Rossiya Segodnya, and others, from its social media platforms for engaging in deceptive influence operations designed to amplify Kremlin's propaganda online. YouTube also said it has terminated over 230 channels affiliated with Rossiya Segodnya and AVO TV Novosti.
The U.S. Department of State has accused RT of running covert influence operations in the U.S. and around the world with the help of an embedded cyber unit tied to Russian intelligence services at least since Spring 2023.
"Under the cover of RT, information produced through this entity's capabilities flows to Russia's intelligence services, Russian media outlets, Russian mercenary groups, and other various state and proxy arms of the Russian Government," it said, calling it an arm of Moscow's spy apparatus.
"A large online crowdfunding platform operating within the quasi-intelligence, state-funded RT and through social media channels is providing material support and weaponry to Russia's military units in Ukraine."
After the last para -
TikTok Blocks Kremlin-Backed Media Accounts
On September 23, 2024, TikTok became the latest social media platform to permanently ban the accounts associated with Rossiya Segodnya and TV-Novosti for engaging in "engaging in covert influence operations," following similar moves Meta and YouTube.
Earlier this month, it also said it "removed three accounts representing a media company, its founder, and a faked news outlet so far for violating our policies prohibiting deceptive behavior and paid political promotion" following evidence published by the DoJ.
"TikTok users and our 86,000 subscribers are no longer allowed to know the truth about most urgent geopolitical issues and laugh at Western politicians' gaffes in Sputnik International videos," Russian news agency Sputnik said on X, urging people to follow its Telegram account.
