Russia funded media company paid right-wing influencers millions, U.S. claims
Russian Nationals Allegedly Funneled Money to U.S. Media Company for Pro-Kremlin Content
Two Russian nationals, Kostiantyn Kalashnikov and Elena Afanasyeva, have been accused by U.S. prosecutors of laundering money and violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act. The indictment alleges that they worked for RT, a media outlet funded and controlled by the Russian government. The indictment claims that RT facilitated the flow of $10 million to a Tennessee-based media company that produces videos promoting narratives favorable to the Kremlin.
The company in question, although not explicitly named in the indictment, is described as a network of commentators focusing on Western political and cultural issues. It counts notable right-wing influencers like Dave Rubin, Tim Pool, and Benny Johnson among its talent. In response to the allegations, Pool denied knowledge of the source of funding and asserted editorial control over his content, which he described as often apolitical. Johnson similarly distanced himself from the allegations, stating that his company had terminated the agreement with the media startup involved.
According to records with the Tennessee Secretary of State’s Office, the media company, known as Tenet Media, was founded in January 2022 by Liam Donovan and Lauren Chen. The indictment claims that Tenet received funding from RT but failed to disclose this information to its audience or register as an agent of a foreign principal with the Justice Department.
The indictment further details how the founders of Tenet allegedly deceived U.S. internet influencers by creating a fake persona named “Eduard Grigoriann” as the sponsor of the company. It alleges that the two Russian employees and the founders of Tenet engaged in a scheme to hide the true source of funding from RT and deceived prominent YouTube commentators into producing videos for the company.
As the company began operations in the fall of 2023, Kalashnikov and Afanasyeva reportedly played active roles in overseeing the daily activities of the media company. Afanasyeva is said to have urged one of the founders to blame Ukraine and the U.S. for a terrorist attack in Moscow, despite evidence attributing the attack to the Islamic State. The Justice Department claims that RT sent wire transfers totaling over $9.7 million to Tenet between October 2023 and August 2024, which constituted a significant portion of the company’s bank deposits.
Attorney General Merrick Garland has condemned the alleged actions of the Russian nationals, emphasizing that the Justice Department will not tolerate foreign propaganda efforts infiltrating the U.S. media landscape. The investigation into this matter is ongoing.
Stefan Becket, a managing editor of politics for CBSNews.com, contributed to this report.
