DOJ charges 2 Russians for funding US far-right media
Russia is running disinformation campaigns to influence US politics ahead of the 2024 election, officials say

What happened
The Justice Department announced several steps to push back against Russian efforts to sway U.S. politics ahead of the 2024 election, including the indictment of two Russians accused of illegally funneling $9.7 million into a Tennessee media company. The founders of the unidentified company, widely reported to be Tenet Media, knew their funding came from "the Russians," as they called their patrons, the unsealed indictment said. High-profile far-right influencers hired by the company, including Tim Pool, Benny Johnson and Dave Rubin, said they were unwitting "victims" in the alleged scheme.
Who said what
The indicted Russians, Kostiantyn Kalashnikov and Elena Afanasyeva — both employees of state broadcaster RT — used fake identities and shell companies to pay the Tennessee company to "pump pro-Russian propaganda and disinformation across social media to U.S. audiences," Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said. "The American people are entitled to know when a foreign power engages in political activities or seeks to influence public discourse," Attorney General Merrick Garland said at a news conference.
"Disinformation experts have long struggled to measure the effectiveness of Russian influence campaigns," The New York Times said, but the indictment said the videos put out by the company, "most of which support the goals of the Russian government, have gained 16 million views on YouTube." Garland said the goals of those videos, and a broader Russian-run influence campaign called "Doppelganger," included "amplifying U.S. domestic divisions in order to weaken U.S. opposition to core Russian interests, particularly its ongoing war in Ukraine."
What next?
"The investigation is ongoing," Garland said. Legally speaking, as long as Pool, Rubin and the other influencers "claim to be duped by these awful Russians, they're in the clear," Marcy Wheeler said at Emptywheel. Kalashnikov and Afanasyeva, if caught and convicted, could face two decades in prison.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Rafi Schwartz has worked as a politics writer at The Week since 2022, where he covers elections, Congress and the White House. He was previously a contributing writer with Mic focusing largely on politics, a senior writer with Splinter News, a staff writer for Fusion's news lab, and the managing editor of Heeb Magazine, a Jewish life and culture publication. Rafi's work has appeared in Rolling Stone, GOOD and The Forward, among others.
-
Senate confirms Trump loyalist Bove to top court
Speed Read The president's former criminal defense lawyer was narrowly approved to earn a lifetime seat
-
Knives come out for Pam Bondi
IN THE SPOTLIGHT She wasn't Trump's first pick to lead the Justice Department. After months of scandals and setbacks, is the attorney general's MAGA shelf life winding down?
-
Will Trump actually prosecute Obama for 'treason'?
Today's Big Question Or is this just a distraction from the Jeffrey Epstein scandal?
-
Florida judge and DOJ make Epstein trouble for Trump
Speed Read The Trump administration's request to release grand jury transcripts from the Epstein investigation was denied
-
Are we facing a summer of riots?
Today's Big Question Anti-immigrant unrest in Essex has sparked fears of a summer of disorder
-
Arms for Ukraine and an ultimatum for Russia
Feature Donald Trump reverses course, sending weapons to Ukraine and threatening Russia with tariffs
-
Deportations: Citizens could be next
Feature the Trump is expanding denaturalization efforts, targeting naturalized citizens and birthright citizenship
-
Ukraine: Trump's mixed messages
Feature Trump reverses a Pentagon freeze on Patriot missiles to Ukraine as Russia ramps up air attacks