Rossiya Segodnya

RT, formerly Russia Today, is a Russian state-funded news outlet that began broadcasting internationally in 2005. In 2017, RT registered as an agent of a foreign government in the United States. Beginning in early 2024, RT executives began an effort to covertly recruit unwitting American influencers. RT used a front company to disguise its own involvement or the involvement of the Russian government. On 04 September 2024, OFAC designated Simonyan, Brodskaia, Anisimov, Kiyashko, Kalashnikov, Afanasyeva, Garashchenko, Yermoshkina, and Nezhentsev pursuant to E.O. 14024 for being owned or controlled, or having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, the Government of the Russian Federation.

Margarita Simonovna Simonyan (Simonyan) is the Editor-in-Chief of RT and a central figure in Russian government malign influence efforts. She allowed the operations of a front company to occur under the cover of RT. Elizaveta Yuryevna Brodskaia (Brodskaia) is the Deputy Editor-in-Chief of RT, who has reported to Russian President Putin and other government officials. Anton Sergeyvich Anisimov (Anisimov) is an RT Deputy Editor-in-Chief, who conducts activities on behalf of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB).

Andrey Vladimirovich Kiyashko (Kiyashko) is the Deputy Director of the RT English-Language Information Broadcasting and is responsible for updating Russian government officials and providing an overview of RT’s operations. Konstantin Kalashnikov (Kalashnikov) is RT’s Digital Media Projects Manager, who, in early 2022, worked with Kiyashko. In mid-2023, Brodskaia and Kiyashko implemented a large-scale influence operation for RT on U.S. social media with the intent of obscuring RT’s connection to the content meant to influence online audiences. Elena Mikhaylovna Afanasyeva (Afanasyeva) is an employee of RT’s Digital Media Projects Department and reports to Kalashnikov. Starting in early 2024, Afanasyeva covertly interacted with prominent U.S. social media influencers under the cover of a fake persona, purporting to be an employee at a U.S. company to obscure RT’s and the Russian government's involvement.

Former CIA analyst-turned whistleblower and author Larry Johnson highlighted the DoJ crackdown’s off the charts “hypocrisy that is staggering in its magnitude and its foulness,” telling Sputnik that the claims of Russian media attempts to “meddle” in the upcoming US presidential election are simply laughable when considering that the US government has allocated “almost $4 billion to interfere or meddle in the political affairs of other countries” in 2024 alone.

Media personality Jackson Hinkle said Americans looking for alternative perspectives and sources of information will the most to suffer from the DoJ’s move. “We can topple governments. We can kill sovereign presidents of sovereign countries. But for a media company to be reporting on the facts…about what’s actually going on in the world, and then for the United States to sanction them, it’s absolutely insane,” Hinkle said. “I think millions of Americans want to hear that truth, and that’s why they’re going after companies like Sputnik so hard right now.”

Retired US Air Force Lt. Col. and ex-DoD analyst-turned whistleblower Karen Kwiatkowski said the perception of the US both inside and outside the country has plummeted in recent years, and that Washington and its allies want to silence dissenting voices to try to get Americans to stop “asking uncomfortable questions” about the conflicts in Ukraine, Gaza and elsewhere.

Pursuant to the Department of State’s authority under the Foreign Missions Act, on 04 September 2024 the Department determined that the operational presence in the United States of the Rossiya Segodnya Media Group and its subsidiaries RIA Novosti, RT, TV Novosti, Ruptly, and Sputnik in the United States constitutes foreign mission activity. These entities have an operational presence in the United States and are effectively controlled by the Government of the Russian Federation.  As entities subject to the Foreign Missions Act, Rossiya Segodnya, RIA Novosti, RT, TV Novosti, Ruptly, and Sputnik will be required to notify the State Department of all employees working in the United States. These entities will also be required to disclose all real estate they own in the United States.

The Foreign Missions Act (FMA) (22 U.S.C.§4301-4316) provides the legal foundation to facilitate secure and efficient operations of U.S. missions abroad, and of foreign missions and international organizations in the United States. Congress mandated the creation of the Office of Foreign Missions (OFM) in the FMA to serve the interests of the American public, the American diplomatic community abroad, and the foreign diplomatic community residing in the United States ensuring that all diplomatic benefits, privileges, and immunities would be properly exercised in accordance with federal laws and international agreements.

OFM supports more than 190 embassies, approximately 700 foreign consular posts, 220 permanent missions to the United Nations, 46 missions to the Organization of American States, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and other accredited international organizations. As an advocate for reciprocal agreements, OFM presses for fair treatment of U.S. personnel abroad while assuring foreign diplomats based in the United States receive the same treatment that each respective government provides in return. Additionally, OFM assists foreign missions in dealing with local government offices in the United States. The concept of reciprocity is best established at 22 U.S.C. § 4301 (c), which states “the treatment to be accorded foreign missions in the United States shall be determined by the Secretary after due consideration of the benefits, privileges, and immunities provided to missions of the United States in the country or territory represented by that foreign mission, as well as matters relating to the protection of the interests of the United States.”

OFM’s implementation of the FMA includes overseeing the process used to formally establish, accredit, or terminate foreign missions and international organizations in the United States, including approval or denial of their requests to acquire, renovate, or dispose of real property in the United States; determining, via accreditation, the rights, privileges, and immunities accorded to foreign government and international organization personnel in the United States; assisting U.S. missions abroad in negotiating the reduction or elimination of taxes and customs on their operations, construction projects, and purchases; regulating the operation, titling and registration of the foreign missions’ use of motor vehicles in the United States; overseeing the process through which shipments consigned to foreign missions and their members are permitted entry into the United States; restricting the travel of certain foreign mission members in the United States; coordinating the policies and procedures on improving the availability of banking and financial services for foreign missions in the United States; coordinating emergency management planning and response for foreign missions in the United States and their personnel; and, designating/determining other “benefits” accorded to foreign missions and the provisions thereof.

The OFM uses the bureau’s data system – TOMIS – to provide real-time comprehensive information on foreign missions’ operations, staff, and movement in the United States. It also utilizes data visualization software, such as ArcGIS, to analyze the information collected on the activities of foreign missions in the United States. OFM’s IT department will implement a variety of software improvements aimed at increasing TOMIS’ operational capability to gather data and export for analysis. These improvements include expanding OFM’s ability to track travel controls, establishing methods to pull foreign mission members’ time in the United States, and creating a flagging technique to highlight specific issues related to foreign missions and their members both internally and externally.

OFM is committed to protecting U.S. foreign policy and national security interests. The ability to regulate the activities of foreign missions in the United States is granted through the broad authority of the FMA and definition of a “benefit.” OFM controls foreign mission activity in the United States through defining a benefit and then creating regulations to govern access to such benefits. Deterring, authority, or any entity providing public services. Approved: January 10, 2022 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE detecting, and investigating non-compliance of Department policy and local, state, and federal laws is essential to protect and safeguard national security. The ingenuity, resources, and globally present nature of criminal entities that engage in fraud pose a serious risk to U.S. foreign policy objectives. To mitigate that risk, OFM believes in a robust and multi-faceted approach that engages and relies on close coordination between all stakeholders. Data analytics provides insight into trends and identifies links between one case and another. This data is used to develop foreign mission specific policies and regulations responsive to the latest and most pertinent threats to U.S. policy and national security.