Dealing with the phenomena of the so-called “Russian liberals” in Washington is already a fairly complex issue, but navigating the realm of the Kremlin’s lobbyists in the United States introduces further challenging layers. It’s not just Russians here, but Americans too – some are easily seen, but most prefer to work behind the scenes of public policy. In short, it’s not easy to track them down – even those who aren’t professional intelligence operatives.
The Troubadours: journalists, political commentators, and politicians
Let’s kick off our overview with the reaction of the American public to the interview with the Russian dictator, recorded by conservative analyst and former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who has repeatedly cast doubt on Ukraine’s military efforts. By the next morning, the video had garnered over 60 million views.
Amid the Congressional debates regarding the allocation of $60 billion in aid to Ukraine, Putin’s assertion that halting the supply of Western weapons could allegedly end the war within two to three weeks stands out as a striking example of strategic communication prowess. And so are his claims that providing aid to Ukraine reflects the current Administration’s reluctance to prioritise domestic concerns within the US. These narratives have quickly found resonance on American social media.
The Senator from Alabama has already reacted to the Kremlin’s show: “Last night’s Tucker Carlson’s interview with Putin shows that Russia is open to a peace agreement, while it is DC warmongers who want to prolong the war. That is why I’m voting to stop 60 BILLION MORE of our tax dollars to this conflict.”
While Putin’s historical fantasies left many Americans puzzled, some observers acknowledge his remarkable capacity to “recount history from memory” for hours, especially juxtaposed against a media narrative highlighting concerns about President Biden’s purported “forgetfulness.” White House representative John Kirby has already rejected concerns that a single interview could substantially sway public opinion regarding support for Ukraine.
Carlson’s accusations levelled against the American media, suggesting their unwillingness to “show Putin’s side,” have stirred outrage within the journalistic community. Despite numerous attempts dating back to 2022, their efforts to secure an interview with Putin have been repeatedly thwarted. Anne Applebaum, an esteemed American journalist and historian, responded to Carlson’s remarks already: “Carlson’s interview is different because he is not a journalist, he’s a propagandist, with a history of helping autocrats conceal corruption.”
Carlson holds considerable influence among a segment of the conservative public. Although correspondence revealed during the Fox News court case showed the television host admitting he “passionately hates Trump,” Trump still considers him as a potential candidate for the vice president position alongside Ramaswamy.
Regrettably, Mr. Carlson is not alone in his views. Conservative commentator Candace Owens, associated with the Daily Wire, actively “debunks” what she perceives as “Ukrainian propaganda”. Similarly, Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk shared findings from a questionable survey conducted among thousands of young Republicans last year, claiming that nearly 96 per cent of them did not support “U.S. involvement” in aid to Ukraine.
Conservative television host Laura Ingraham on Fox News constantly delivers the same message: “Who really wants another endless war that we have to disproportionately fund as a country. And who are the Americans who want us to be on the hook for Ukrainian reconstruction costs? Which, you know, are going to be in the hundreds of billions of dollars, at least hundreds of billions of dollars, maybe even a trillion. No one I know supports any of this.”
The creativity of the MAGA wing of the Republican Party never ceases to impress, as it consistently echoes Russian rhetoric. Last year, on the eve of the anniversary of the invasion, Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz introduced a resolution called “Ukraine Fatigue,” aimed at ending both “military and financial assistance” to the country. Congresswoman Mary Miller, known for her religious fervour, has repeatedly opposed providing aid to Ukraine and accused Biden of wanting to involve the US in three major wars and funding “BOTH SIDES in all three of them.”
I approached Ms. Miller at an event after she finished her prayer, asking her to unblock the aid package and stop the human suffering in Ukraine. She theatrically placed her hand over her heart and silently retreated.
The pillars of the Russian disinformation and propaganda system, Russian state media outlets RT and Sputnik, are not banned in the US out of respect for the principle of freedom of speech. However, following the full-scale invasion, several American companies have barred them from accessing their systems. Apple removed the RT News app from its app store. YouTube blocked the RT news channel. DirecTV discontinued RT America.
In March 2022, the US Department of the Treasury imposed sanctions on 11 information agencies controlled by Russian intelligence for spreading false narratives justifying Russia’s invasion of Ukraine: NewsFront, the Strategic Culture Foundation, Odna Rodina, Rhythm of Eurasia, Journal Kamerton, InfoRos, SouthFront, United World International, New Eastern Outlook, Oriental Review, and Geopolitica.
The Global Engagement Center of the US State Department, created to counter propaganda and disinformation campaigns, reported that News Front, created as an “alternative source of information” for Western audiences, is coordinated by the Russian Federal Security Service; New Eastern Outlook and Oriental Review are controlled by Russian foreign intelligence; Rebel Inside is controlled by the Russian army.
In addition to the usual practices of employing bots and trolls on social media, more innovative approaches were experimented with in 2023. Deepfakes depicting Elijah Wood and Mike Tyson supposedly characterising Volodymyr Zelensky as a drug-addicted neo-Nazi were circulated. Furthermore, Russians turned to manipulating search engine traffic by utilising low-quality websites created to propagate links to domains of pro-Kremlin pseudo-analytical centres.
In 2022, the State Department published five immutable narratives promoted by Russia:
- Russia is an “innocent victim”, and its aggressive actions are merely an enforced response to the actions of the United States and Ukraine’s democratic allies and partners;
- Historical revisionism, in other words, distortion of historical facts;
- The “inevitable” collapse of Western civilisation;
- People’s protests are “sponsored” by the United States and are just “colour revolutions”;
- The reality, as presented by the Kremlin, thus creates an alternative reality with numerous false variations of events where the truth is not in its interest.
Currently, the USA is working on proactive preventive measures to counter Russian disinformation.
The Pageboys: Russian embassy in Washington, intelligence operatives, “useful idiots,” and academics
At the beginning of the year, the Russian Embassy in Washington trolled several analytical centres by sending them two books printed in 2023. The first book discussed the history of Ukraine, with a foreword by Lavrov addressing the West’s role in sowing discord among fraternal peoples: “It is no secret that for many years, the efforts of Ukrainian radical nationalists and their Western mentors have created and continue to create a large number of historical myths and falsifications.” We can safely say that anyone interested in reading a brief summary of this extensive book can find it in Putin’s interview.
The second was the memoirs of Maria Butina, a so-called “victim of the Washington regime.” She was arrested in the US in 2018 on charges related to her ties to Russian intelligence and engaging in activities requiring registration as a foreign agent, which Butina did not have. The FBI stated that she planned to use certain political groups to establish an “unofficial channel” of communication with officials in the United States, with the ultimate goal of influencing US foreign policy in favour of Russia.
One can only guess how many Butinas wander around Washington right now. Let’s hope not all of them decide to publish extensive “memoirs,” as a nearly 500-page book is boring as is or lost a dramatic effect in translation.
Based on declassified 2023 intelligence data from the United States, it has been revealed that the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) operates a systematic program aimed at promoting pro-Kremlin propaganda. This is achieved through private relationships established between Russian agents and their Western targets, who operate as independent actors, often unaware of being manipulated.
For instance, within a media project initiated in 2014, Andrey Stepanenko supported journalists from the USA who travelled to eastern Ukraine in pursuit of uncovering the “truth.” In reality, the FSB wielded control over his actions and likely provided funding for the project, with journalists uncovering “right” information aligned with Kremlin narratives.
Another case is Natalia Burlinova, who established a Russian non-governmental organisation and orchestrated regular events at various American analytical centres and universities in New York, Boston, and Washington. According to intelligence reports, this endeavour received funding from the FSB.
However, even more significant is the behind-the-scenes diplomacy. In the spring of last year, a meeting occurred in New York between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and former head of the Council on Foreign Relations Richard Haass, alongside European expert Charles Kupchan and Russia expert Thomas Graham. The latter two are former White House and State Department officials who currently serve as fellows of the Council on Foreign Relations.
The discussion focused on the fate of the occupied territories and the search for a diplomatic path. Haass stated that such negotiations are important when official talks “are either absent or unproductive.” Two months before this meeting, an article by Haass and Kupchan titled “The West Needs a New Strategy in Ukraine. A Plan for Getting From the Battlefield to the Negotiating Table” was published in Foreign Affairs.
Based on unverified reports, it’s been suggested that both Aven and Chubais made separate visits to Washington recently. Allegedly, Chubais advocated for the relaxation of sanctions on certain oligarchs while also engaging in meetings with various universities.
In 2023, former Putin advisor Illarionov began a systematic campaign to discredit Oksana Markarova, the Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States. Supposedly, he claimed, she “provides false information” regarding Lend-Lease. Illarionov manipulates situations to his advantage. During a personal meeting with a Pentagon representative, I observed surprise at the Ukrainian focus on the Lend-Lease program, which entails the return of intact equipment and payments for damaged ones after the conflict concludes. This is seen as redundant, given that military assistance can be acquired for free through alternative programs. “We don’t want Ukraine to go bankrupt.” The opinion about Mrs. Ambassador in Washington is almost unanimous – highly professional, hardworking, and knowledgeable. Sometimes, it seems that Mrs. Markarova works 25/8, and having her as a speaker at an event is a privilege.
Members of the scientific community also fall among the “useful idiots” promoting Kremlin views. For instance, 94-year-old Noam Chomsky advocates for “peaceful” negotiations to resolve the “conflict provoked by the West.” This stance finds common ground with John Mearsheimer, a professor of political science at the University of Chicago, who insists that the core issue isn’t solely the expansion of the EU and NATO or the democratisation of Ukraine but rather its “transition” into a pro-American liberal democracy.
Jeffrey Sachs, a professor and director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University, follows the same narrative – he accuses the West, pushes the topic of “peaceful negotiations”, and claims Russia was provoked by the expansion of NATO and by the “U.S. role in installing a Russophobic regime in Ukraine by the violent overthrow of Ukraine’s pro-Russian President, Viktor Yanukovych, in February 2014.”
Benjamin Abelov worked in Washington and lectured at American universities. For four dollars, you can buy his book published in 2022, “How the West Brought War to Ukraine: Understanding How U.S. and NATO Policies Led to Crisis, War, and the Risk of Nuclear Catastrophe”. You can contact the author via email with the subject line “Ukraine War.”
This is by no means an exhaustive list of highly educated manipulators who have influence over the minds of young people and the broader public. The VoxCheck team has extensively investigated a network of so-called “Western experts” who frequently appear on each other’s shows, either whitewashing or legitimising Kremlin propaganda. Among the 26 questionable experts are Jimmy Dore, who hosts his own comedy-political talk show, former CIA officer Ray McGovern, and former military officer Scott Ritter. These individuals often receive the same awards for “professional achievements,” speak at UN Security Council meetings, and some even reside in Russia.
The Mercenaries: formal and informal lobbyists
Several laws in the United States regulate lobbying and activities on behalf of foreign governments, firms, or individuals. The Lobbying Disclosure Act (LDA) of 1995 governs lobbying. Section 951 of the Espionage Act of 1917 imposes criminal liability for the activities of a foreign agent without informing the US Attorney General.
The Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) was enacted in 1938 as a measure to counter Nazi propaganda. It requires individuals or organisations to register as foreign agents with the Department of Justice if they act on behalf of and receive financial support from other countries, seek to influence public opinion in the United States, or influence policy. Currently, political lobbyists of a foreign government face up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000 for failure to register. Approximately 1,700 individuals and organisations are registered.
The registration issue becomes somewhat ambiguous because if the “primary beneficiary” of lobbying efforts is not a foreign government or political party, one can technically circumvent the application of FARA. For instance, two firms representing Oleg Deripaska’s company, En+ Group, were registered differently – DCI Group under the LDA and Mercury Public Affairs under FARA. Similarly, firms representing Russia’s third-largest financial institutions, such as Gazprombank, Sberbank, and Nord Stream 2, operated under the LDA.
In the past, violations of FARA were levied against former Trump campaign chairman, American political strategist Paul Manafort, due to his connections to the administration of former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, and against Trump advisor Michael Flynn, who received over $50,000 from Russian companies in 2015.
In a recent case from 2022, the US Department of Justice charged Alexander Ionov, a resident of Moscow, with organising long-term activities through political groups in Florida, Georgia, and California aimed at sowing discord, spreading Russian propaganda, or interfering in American elections.
Another defendant is Alexander Babakov, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma of Russia, who faces charges of conspiring to unlawfully promote Russia’s interests in the United States, which includes engaging with members of Congress. His activities were intended to weaken US partnerships with European allies, undermine Western sanctions, and support Russia’s efforts “designed to destroy” Ukraine’s sovereignty.
Previously, Elena Branson, who holds dual citizenship of the United States and Russia, violated both laws by failing to disclose receiving $170,000 from Russian government funds for organising the “I Love Russia” campaign aimed at youth in the United States. The US Department of the Treasury imposed sanctions on four Russian organisations accused of supporting Kremlin influence with malicious intent and engaging in election interference operations, particularly in the United States and Ukraine. These organisations include the Russian Anti-Globalist Movement, Ionov Transcontinental, STOP-Imperialism, and the Center for Support and Development of Creative Diplomacy Civic Initiatives.
Robert Amsterdam’s law firm, Amsterdam & Partners LLP, is actively campaigning against Bill 8371, which seeks to ban religious organisations with decision-making centres in countries engaged in armed aggression against Ukraine, specifically targeting the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate. They have gone as far as distributing a press release presenting “new white paper detailing sweeping abuses of human rights and violations of religious freedom by the Ukrainian government aimed against their client, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC).”
These are just a few examples of the active pro-Russian lobby in the United States. However, there is also encouraging news. The Ukrainian lobby is equally robust. An analysis by the Quincy Institute reveals that Ukrainian agents, many of whom have previously worked on Capitol Hill, have been tirelessly advocating even before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24. In 2021 alone, there were reported to be 13,541 instances of “political activity” on behalf of their Ukrainian clients.
