The Biden administration took a bold step Wednesday to counter Russia’s alleged efforts to influence U.S. public opinion ahead of the November election. The Justice, State, and Treasury departments jointly announced a series of actions, including sanctions and criminal charges, in response to what they say are Russian government-sponsored efforts to manipulate American political discourse.
Criminal Russian Charges and Sanctions
Attorney General Merrick Garland unsealed charges against two employees of the Russian state media network RT, Konstantin Kalashnikov and Elena Afanasyeva. The indictment, unsealed in the Southern District of New York, charges them with conspiracy to commit money laundering and violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). Garland said the men orchestrated a nearly $10 million scheme to fund a Tennessee company. The company, in turn, hired American social media influencers to spread pro-Russian content under false pretenses, posing as sponsored by a private investor rather than RT or the Russian government.
Garland emphasized that the content promoted by these influencers covered a variety of issues, including immigration and inflation, often aligned with Russian interests. It was all aimed at exacerbating domestic divisions in the United States and undermining support for the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Russian government involvement
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby suggested that Russian President Vladimir Putin likely knew about these efforts. The U.S. believes Putin was involved or at least informed about RT’s influence operations.
Treasury Department Actions
The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced sanctions against 10 individuals and two entities. They are part of Moscow’s malign influence efforts aimed at the 2024 U.S. presidential election. Among those sanctioned is RaHDIt, a prominent pro-Russian hacktivist group. It is led by Alexey Alexeyevich Garashchenko, a current or former FSB officer in Russia’s intelligence service. RaHDIt is known for its hacking and data leak operations. It has a significant presence on Telegram, where it publishes information aimed at discrediting Ukrainian officials and supporting Russian interests.
The sanctions block all property and property interests of the designated individuals and entities in the United States. They require such assets to be reported to OFAC. In addition, the State Department imposed new visa restrictions on individuals associated with Kremlin-backed media organizations. It designated six RT affiliates operating in the United States as “foreign missions.” The department also announced a reward of up to $10 million for information on foreign efforts to interfere in the U.S. election.
Historical context and broader implications
The current sanctions and charges are part of a broader effort to address ongoing concerns about Russian interference in U.S. elections. U.S. intelligence agencies have previously assessed that Russia is seeking to disrupt the 2024 election, citing RT as a significant source of disinformation. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence has noted that Russia is seeking to undermine support for the Democratic presidential candidate. It also aims to reduce the American public’s support for aid to Ukraine.
This latest action follows previous findings that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election, a finding that has been supported by multiple U.S. investigations, including the special counsel investigation led by Robert Mueller. Those investigations found that Russian efforts were aimed at helping Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton. Earlier this year, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan expressed concern about possible Russian interference in the 2024 election. He emphasized that the issue goes beyond politics and is a matter of national security.
In February, reports indicated that disinformation campaigns had already targeted President Joe Biden’s campaign and other Democratic candidates. While the impact of Russian disinformation in 2020 was significant, it was dwarfed by former President Trump’s own efforts to cast doubt on the legitimacy of the 2020 election.
This coordinated response by the Biden administration underscores its strong stance against foreign interference. They are aimed at protecting the integrity of the U.S. election process.