Russia has been covertly using popular conservative bloggers and influencers from the United States in its information influence and disinformation campaigns.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Russian agents recruited American influencers to spread Kremlin propaganda without revealing the true source of their funding. The bloggers and influencers unknowingly worked for a media company that was a front for a Russian information operation.
The key figures in this operation are employees of the Russian state broadcaster, Russia Today — Kostiantyn Kalashnikov and Elena Afanasyeva. They have been charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering and violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). They secretly funneled nearly $10 million to Tenet Media, a Tennessee-based company, which contracted American influencers to create video content aimed at deepening divisions in the U.S., particularly in the context of the war in Ukraine.
Tenet Media was founded by Canadian Lauren Chen and her husband Liam Donovan. Lauren Chen is a well-known conservative commentator; she hosts a show on BlazeTV, a conservative channel run by prominent host Glenn Beck. Chen is also an activist with Turning Point USA, an organization led by Trump supporter Charlie Kirk.
The Russians provided Chen and Donovan with funds to hire prominent American bloggers and commentators on their platforms to promote Kremlin narratives on platforms like YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter).
The indictment states that the videos posted on platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram garnered over 16 million views.
Tenet Media employed well-known pro-Trump online personalities such as Tim Pool, Benny Johnson, David Rubin, and Lauren Southern. Pool, Johnson, and Rubin have since stated that they were unaware of the campaign’s Russian ties and claim that the owners of Tenet deceived them.
Tenet Media, funded by Russian money, created lucrative terms of cooperation. They paid bloggers and commentators $400,000 per month, along with a $100,000 signing bonus and additional incentives for posting four videos per week.
Afanasyeva monitored the content on Tenet Media and demanded the promotion of narratives favorable to the Kremlin.
For example, Afanasyeva ordered the company to highlight Ukraine’s alleged involvement in a terrorist attack at Crocus City Hall in Moscow. Additionally, she required the publication of a video featuring host Tucker Carlson visiting a Moscow supermarket, where Carlson praised the low prices and variety of goods in Russian stores.
What distinguishes this scheme is that Russia, through Russia Today, recruited real influencers rather than fake accounts. According to expert Renée DiResta, using authentic influencers is far more effective, as they have a large and trusted audience.
With the onset of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, RT America was removed from most U.S. cable operators. However, Russia continues to attempt to influence the American audience via the internet, using companies like Tenet Media to spread Kremlin propaganda, disinformation, and interfere in U.S. politics.
