A Tennessee-based company, believed to be Tenet Media, was recently indicted by the United States Department of Justice for accepting millions of dollars from Russian state-owned media outlet RT to promote “pro-Russia propaganda and disinformation” across social media to US audiences. The company was responsible for working with high-profile right-wing influencers, including Dave Rubin and Tim Pool, who spread anti-Ukraine sentiments. This comes amid calls from some Republican factions to scale down or halt aid to Ukraine, potentially benefiting Russia in the ongoing conflict. Apart from federal indictments, the US Treasury also imposed sanctions on RT and other individuals accused of collaborating with Russian broadcasters.
In response to these accusations, Russian TV presenter Vladimir Solovyov framed the sanctions as part of an informational warfare front against the US. RT chief editor Margarita Simonyan openly accepted responsibility for waging informational warfare on the US, proudly stating that all RT employees follow orders from the Kremlin. She also hinted at covert attempts to influence the media landscape in the US, claiming they were incredibly successful.
Analysts suggest that Russia is able to influence Americans who are distrustful of the state and mainstream media by amplifying existing divisions, rather than creating new narratives. They identified a more vulnerable and emotionally charged audience among the American right-wing demographic, resonating strongly with themes like anti-wokeism and anti-globalism. The success of spreading Kremlin narratives in the US is also attributed to deeper societal issues such as distrust of political institutions and mainstream media.
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Photo credit www.aljazeera.com
