U.S. Officials Allege Russian Operatives Illegally Provided $10 Million to Fund Videos by American Right-Wing Social Media Stars

A state-controlled Russian media outlet provided nearly $10 million to “covertly finance and direct” videos produced by a Tennessee-based online content company, the Justice Department alleged, identified by media reports as U.S. right-wing social media network Tenet Media.

A federal indictment unsealed Wednesday (available at this link) charged two employees of RT, formerly known as Russia Today, of using “fake personas and shell companies” to carry out a “secret influence campaign in the United States.” The duo “operated under covert identities” at an American company identified in court documents as “U.S. Company-1.” CNN and other media outlets said they confirmed that the company in question is Tenet Media, whose affiliated personalities include Benny Johnson and “Culture War Podcast” host Tim Pool, both of whom have millions of followers on YouTube and other platforms.

According to the DOJ, the two RT employees falsified their identities and “posted and directed the posting by U.S. Company-1 of hundreds of videos” on multiple services, including TikTok, Instagram, X and YouTube. “Since publicly launching in or about November 2023, U.S. Company-1 has posted nearly 2,000 videos that have garnered more than 16 million views on YouTube alone,” per federal authorities.

“Many of the videos posted by U.S. Company-1 contain commentary on events and issues in the U.S., such as immigration, inflation, and other topics related to domestic and foreign policy,” the DOJ said. “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.”

Tenet Media did not respond to a request for comment submitted through its website.

In a post on X Wednesday, Johnson said, “A year ago, a media startup pitched my company to provide content as an independent contractor. Our lawyers negotiated a standard, arms length deal, which was later terminated. We are disturbed by the allegations in today’s indictment, which make clear that myself and other influencers were victims in this alleged scheme. My lawyers will handle anyone who states or suggests otherwise.”

Pool, also writing on X, said in part, “Should these allegations prove true, I as well as the other personalities and commentators were deceived and are victims. I cannot speak for anyone else at the company as to what they do or to what they are instructed.” Pool said, “Never at any point did anyone other than I have full editorial control of the show and the contents of the show are often apolitical. Examples include discussing spirituality, dating, and videos games. The show is produced in its entirety by our local team without input from anyone external to the company.”

Tenet Media describes itself as “a network of heterodox commentators that focus on Western political and cultural issues. Our goal is to support creators who question institutions that believe themselves to be above questioning. In our view, all issues du jour merit rigorous and honest discussion if one wants to come closest to the truth. For those interested in authentic coverage of the topics that matter most, Tenet Media is your home for content: fearless voices live here.”

“The Justice Department has charged two employees of RT, a Russian state-controlled media outlet, in a $10 million scheme to create and distribute content to U.S. audiences with hidden Russian government messaging,” U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement. “The Justice Department will not tolerate attempts by an authoritarian regime to exploit our country’s free exchange of ideas in order to covertly further its own propaganda efforts, and our investigation into this matter remains ongoing.”

RT orchestrated a “massive scheme to influence the American public by secretly planting and financing a content creation company on U.S. soil,” added U.S. Attorney Damian Williams for the Southern District of New York. According to Williams, the “victims of the scheme were the American people, who received Russian messaging without knowing it.”

The federal indictment in the Southern District of New York charged Russian nationals and RT staff memberrs Kostiantyn Kalashnikov, 31, also known as Kostya, and Elena Afanasyeva, 27, also known as Lena, with “conspiracy to violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act” and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

Between October 2023 and August 2024, RT sent wire transfers to “U.S. Company-1” totaling approximately $9.7 million, which represented nearly 90% of the company’s bank deposits from all sources combined, according to the DOJ. The funds were sent from shell companies in Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Mauritius, and “were often accompanied by wire notes ascribing the payments to the purchase of electronics,” according to the Justice Department.

Tenet Media “never disclosed to its viewers that it was funded and directed by RT,” according to the DOJ, nor did the company or its two founders register with the Attorney General “as an agent of a foreign principal.”

U.S. officials charged Kalashnikov and Afanasyeva with conspiracy to violate 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.

RT editor in chief Margarita Simonyan dismissed the charges, writing “great job, team!” on Telegram, according to an article published Sept. 4 on the outlet’s website. She also “ridiculed U.S. officials for claiming – for the third election in a row – that RT is attempting to interfere in American politics,” per the RT article. “If they kick us out completely, how will they conduct the next elections? They don’t have any other strategies except to scaremonger about the almighty RT,” Simonyan wrote in a post on Telegram, per the article.

Also Wednesday, the DOJ announced the ongoing seizure of 32 internet domains “used in Russian government-directed foreign malign influence campaigns,” referred to as “Doppelganger,” which the agency said was in violation of U.S. money laundering and criminal trademark laws. Russian companies Social Design Agency (SDA), Structura National Technology (Structura) and ANO Dialog, operating under the direction and control of the Russian presidential administration, “used these domains, among others, 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,” the Justice Department alleged.