The Justice Department has charged two employees of the Russian state-controlled media outlet RT in connection with a purported $10 million influence campaign aimed at bolstering right-wing media voices in the United States. The indictment alleges that Kostiantyn Kalashnikov, 31, and Elena Afanasyeva, 27, acted as unregistered foreign agents and laundered $9.7 million to a Tennessee-based media company to disseminate pro-Kremlin propaganda.
According to the indictment, the media company, which has yet to be explicitly named, posted nearly 2,000 videos that collectively garnered over 16 million views on YouTube. While the indictment does not directly name the company, it is widely believed to be Tenet Media, a Nashville-based firm described in the indictment as a network of heterodox commentators focused on Western political and cultural issues.
Tenet Media was incorporated on January 19, 2022, aligning with the date mentioned in the indictment. Business records also point to Lauren Chen, a former RT commentator now affiliated with BlazeTV and Turning Point USA, and her husband, Liam Donovan, as key figures behind Tenet Media.
The indictment details significant financial transactions involving prominent right-wing commentators. YouTube subscriber counts for unnamed influencers in the indictment correspond to those of Benny Johnson, Dave Rubin, and Tim Pool. Johnson or Rubin reportedly received a $100,000 signing bonus and $400,000 per month, while Pool earned $100,000 per video. Collectively, these commentators received at least $8.7 million from Tenet Media between October 2023 and August 2024, via wire transfers from shell companies in Turkey, the UAE, and Mauritius, funded by RT. These payments were disguised as electronic merchandise purchases.
Afanasyeva is accused of using fictitious identities to recruit and persuade these commentators to produce content on various issues such as immigration and inflation. The content often aligned with Russian interests, aiming to amplify U.S. domestic divisions. Notably, one of the proposed topics included blaming Ukraine and the U.S. for a March 2024 ISIS attack in Moscow.
Additionally, the indictment reveals attempts to promote content like former Fox News host Tucker Carlson’s visit to a Moscow supermarket. Afanasyeva allegedly fabricated a financier named Eduard Grigoriann to conceal the funding source, though objections were raised about his false CV claiming support for social justice.
Both Johnson and Pool have publicly stated they were deceived and are victims of the alleged scheme. Johnson noted that his company had a standard deal with Tenet Media that was later terminated, while Pool emphasized his lack of knowledge about specific instructions given to others. The Culture War Podcast, which was licensed by Tenet Media, existed before and will continue after the agreement with the company.