The US government has imposed sanctions on several Russian individuals and entities for their involvement in “malign influence efforts” aimed at interfering with the US presidential election in November. The Treasury and Justice departments made the announcement, targeting 10 individuals and two entities, including editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan and deputy Elizaveta Brodskaia of Russian state-owned media network RT.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen emphasized the US government’s determination to hold state-sponsored actors accountable for undermining public trust in institutions. The Treasury Department revealed that Simonyan and others associated with RT covertly recruited social media influencers to shape public opinion and promote pro-Kremlin messages.
In a separate development, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland disclosed indictments against two Russia-based RT employees for money laundering and violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act. The Justice Department also ordered the seizure of 32 domains linked to Russian government-directed malign influence campaigns.
These actions are part of efforts to combat foreign interference in US elections and hold individuals accountable for attempting to manipulate public opinion.
