The US Treasury Department has placed sanctions on 10 Russian individuals and 2 organizations for allegedly attempting to influence US presidential elections.
According to a press release by the Treasury Department, the sanctions target figures and entities connected to Russia’s efforts to spread disinformation and disrupt the democratic process.
Included in the sanctions are prominent media outlets like the Rossiya Segodnya group and its subsidiaries, including RIA Novosti, RT, Ruptly, and Sputnik.
The individuals sanctioned are key players in Russia’s media and cyber influence campaigns.
Among the individuals sanctioned is Margarita Simonyan, the Editor-in-Chief of RT, who has been a central figure in Russia’s attempts to sway public opinion in the US. Other key figures include Elizaveta Brodskaia, who reports to Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Anton Anisimov, who is tied to the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB).
Also sanctioned were cyber operatives like Aleksey Garashchenko, leader of the RaHDit group and an affiliate of the FSB, and Vladimir Tabak, who directs organizations involved in online disinformation efforts.
As part of the sanctions, all property and interests in property belonging to these individuals and entities within the US are frozen. The sanctions aim to block the spread of disinformation campaigns by limiting access to US financial systems.
The US Justice Department has also charged two RT employees, Konstantin Kalashnikov and Elena Afanasyeva, for their involvement in a $10 million scheme to create content with hidden Russian government messaging targeted at American audiences.
