American company, Russian propaganda: New Kremlin tactic reveals escalating effort to sway US vote

WASHINGTON (AP) — Russia has long sought to inject disinformation into U.S. political discourse. Now, it’s got a new angle: paying Americans to do the work.

This week’s indictment of two Russian state media employees on charges that they paid a Tennessee company to create pro-Russian content has renewed concerns about foreign meddling in the November election while revealing the Kremlin’s latest tactic in a growing information war.

If the allegations prove correct, they represent a significant escalation, analysts say, and likely capture only a small piece of a larger Russian effort to sway the election.

“We have seen the smoke for years. Now, here’s the fire,” said Jim Ludes, a former national defense analyst who now leads the Pell Center for International Relations at Salve Regina University. “I don’t wonder if they’re doing more of this. I have no doubt.”

According to prosecutors, the two employees of RT, a Russian outlet formerly known as Russia Today, funneled $10 million to the U.S. media company, which then paid several popular right-wing influencers for their content — in one case $400,000 a month. Two of those influencers said they had no idea their work was being supported by Russia.

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