$10 million for propaganda and disinformation: US exposes large-scale operation by Russia Today.

The US Department of Justice has charged Konstantin Kalashnikov and Elena Afanasyeva - employees of the Russian state television channel RT. They are accused of conspiring to violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) and money laundering.

According to the charges, RT and its employees illegally transferred almost 10 million dollars to fund and manage an American online content production company based in Tennessee. This company distributed English-language videos on popular social networks such as YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and others.

Among other things, Afanasyeva approached the founder of the American company after the terrorist attack in a Moscow concert hall on March 22, 2024. She suggests condemning Ukraine and the US for this attack. In her message, she writes: "I think we can focus on the Ukrainian/American aspect... Mainstream media are spreading fake news that ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack, although ISIS itself made no such statements. All terrorists are now detained while heading to the border with Ukraine, which makes it even more suspicious why they wanted to hide in Ukraine."

The indictment claims that this scheme was part of RT's strategy to create a "clandestine empire of projects" that are intended to influence public opinion of the "Western audience" after RT's official activities ceased in the US and other Western countries.

Earlier it was reported that the Biden administration would accuse Russia of attempting to influence the 2024 elections.