Russian charged with using US groups to spread propaganda
By ERIC TUCKER and MIKE SCHNEIDER47 minutes ago
WASHINGTON (AP) — A Russian operative under the supervision of one of the Kremlin’s main intelligence services has been charged with recruiting political groups in the United States to advance pro-Russia propaganda, including during
the invasion of Ukraine, the Justice Department said Friday.
The indictment of Aleksandr Viktorovich Ionov reflects what U.S. officials say are ongoing Russian government efforts
to meddle in the American political process, to shape public opinion and to sow discord and dissent on hot-button social issues.
In this case, the authorities say, Ionov for roughly the last decade recruited political groups in Florida, Georgia and California and directed them to spread pro-Russia talking points. He also paid for group members to attend government-funded conferences in Russia, as well as a protest in the U.S. against social media efforts to suppress online support for Moscow’s Ukraine invasion, the indictment says........
Continues......
https://apnews.com/article/russia-u...and-politics-62e1ba5bb2f3c23b4e30bf9c582c5877