WASHINGTON – On Wednesday, Attorney General Merrick Garland revealed that the Justice Department has charged two Russian nationals for orchestrating a $10 million campaign aimed at influencing the 2024 elections through online platforms, which inundated American citizens with false information.

The charges are centered around RT, the Russian government-backed media outlet that was dropped by U.S. distributors following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The organization financed a $10 million initiative through a Tennessee-based company, which targeted U.S. social media influencers to spread Russian disinformation and foster political divisions in the country, Garland stated.

The Justice Department also confiscated 32 internet domains used by these Russians to disseminate election misinformation as part of an initiative named “Doppelganger.” These websites mimicked genuine U.S. news organizations but were filled with Russian propaganda, which could easily be shared by U.S. influencers.

“Americans deserve to know when a foreign entity is attempting to manipulate our freedom of speech for their propaganda purposes,” said Garland. “After Russia’s aggressive actions in Ukraine, RT’s editor in chief remarked that they had created ‘a vast empire of covert operations designed to influence Western public opinion.’”

In response, RT mocked the allegations, stating: “Three things in life are guaranteed: death, taxes, and RT’s interference in U.S. elections,” as quoted by Reuters.

Two RT staff members based in Russia, Kostiantyn Kalashnikov (31), known as Kostya, and Elena Afanasyeva (27), known as Lena, have been charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering and violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act.

The Treasury Department has also sanctioned RT editor in chief Margarita Simonovna Simonyan and others associated with the network for secretly enlisting social media influencers to sway public opinion in the U.S. and propagate pro-Kremlin messages.

“This marks the most thorough action we’ve seen to disrupt a foreign government’s attempts to meddle in a U.S. election,” commented Brandon Van Grack, a leading prosecutor in Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 elections. “It aims not just to thwart such intrusions, but also to lessen their effects on the upcoming election.”

Officials have repeatedly warned that Russia, along with China and Iran, would make efforts to sway the elections.

This behavior isn’t new.

Special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into the 2016 elections led to charges against Russians for hacking Democratic emails and leaking information about candidate Hillary Clinton.

“The Russian government interfered in the 2016 presidential election in extensive and organized ways,” stated the Mueller report.

While it was determined that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the influence campaign, and showed a clear preference for a Trump presidency, Mueller’s inquiry did not find evidence that the Trump campaign colluded or coordinated with Moscow.

“Russia aimed to undermine trust in the U.S. democratic system, damage Secretary Clinton’s reputation, and weaken her chances of winning the presidency,” according to the intelligence community’s report. “Our assessment is that Putin and the Russian Government favored President-elect Trump.”

Following Trump’s remarks in July 2016, Russian agents targeted emails related to Clinton’s personal office on the same day. “Russia, if you’re listening, I hope you’re able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing,” Trump stated.

In a speech last month, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco cautioned that Putin and his associates are employing increasingly advanced tactics in their interference activities.

“They are focusing on specific voter groups and crucial swing-state voters to influence outcomes in presidential and congressional elections,” she remarked.