Russia has secretly funneled at least $300 million to foreign political parties and candidates in more than two dozen countries since 2014 in an attempt to shape political events beyond its borders, according to a new intelligence review. american intelligence
Moscow planned to spend hundreds of millions of dollars more as part of its covert campaign to weaken democratic systems and promote global political forces seen as aligned with Kremlin interests, according to the review, which the Biden administration commissioned this summer .
A senior U.S. official, who like other officials spoke to reporters on Tuesday on condition of anonymity to discuss the intelligence findings, said the administration decided to declassify some of the review’s findings to try to counter Russia’s ability to influence the political systems of European countries. Africa and other places.
“By shining this light on Russian covert political funding and Russian attempts to undermine democratic processes, we are putting these foreign parties and candidates on notice that if they secretly accept Russian money, we can and will expose it,” the official said.
Countries where such activities were identified included Albania, Montenegro, Madagascar and potentially Ecuador, according to an administration source familiar with the matter.
The officials pointed to an Asian country, which they declined to name, where they said the Russian ambassador gave millions of dollars in cash to a presidential candidate. They said Kremlin-linked forces have also used shell companies, think tanks and other means to influence political events, sometimes to the benefit of far-right groups.
The senior official said the US government detected an increase in covert Russian political funding in 2014. The review did not address Russian activities in the United States.
Assessments by US spy agencies and a bipartisan Senate investigation concluded that Russia under President Vladimir Putin launched a campaign to interfere in the 2016 presidential election to help then-candidate Donald Trump.
A State Department is approaching on Monday in U.S. embassies in more than 100 countries described alleged Russian activities and suggested steps the U.S. can take to curb them, including sanctions, travel bans or the expulsion of Russian spies involved in political financing activities .
The cable, which officials provided to reporters, named Russian oligarchs it said were involved in what it described as “funding schemes,” including Yevgeniy Prigozhin and Aleksandr Babakov. Prigozhin, known as “Putin’s chef” after making large sums in Russian government catering contracts, was accused by US officials in 2018 of trying to interfere in the 2016 US election. He has been linked to the private military firm Wagner and is wanted by the FBI.
US diplomats are informing their counterparts in other countries about the activities, which US officials believe could go well beyond the nations and sums that have been identified.
“We think this is just the tip of the iceberg,” the senior official said. “So instead of standing on the sidelines, we’re sharing these response measures.”
War in Ukraine: what you need to know
The last: Ukraine’s grain shipments are accelerating under the deal struck by Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the United Nations in July. Russia’s blockade of Ukrainian Black Sea ports had pushed up food prices and raised fears of more famine in the Middle East and Africa. At least 18 ships, including loads of wheat, corn and sunflower oil, have left.
The fight: The conflict on the ground continues as Russia uses its advantage in heavy artillery to pound Ukrainian forces, which have at times been able to put up strong resistance. In the south, Ukraine’s hope rests on the liberation of the Russian-occupied Kherson region and eventually Crimea, seized by Russia in 2014. Fears of a disaster at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant remain , as both sides accuse each other of bombing it.
The weapons: Western arms supplies are helping Ukraine stem Russian advances. US-supplied High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) allow Ukrainian forces to strike beyond Russian lines against Russian artillery. Russia has used a number of weapons against Ukraine, some of which have drawn the attention and concern of analysts.
Pictures: Washington Post photographers have been on the ground since the beginning of the war; here are some of his most powerful works.
How you can help: Here are ways that those in the United States can help support the Ukrainian people, as well as what people around the world have given.
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