By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
WASHINGTON/MOSCOW (Worthy News) – U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration has seized what it says are “Kremlin-run websites” and charged two Russian state media workers as part of what critics view as a crackdown on media with non-Western views.
One criminal case disclosed by the Justice Department accuses two employees of RT, a Russian state media company, of covertly funding a Tennessee-based content creation company with nearly $10 million.
The company then published English-language videos on social media platforms such as TikTok and YouTube with messages in favor of the Russian government’s interests and agenda, including about the war in Ukraine.
Prosecutors said nearly 2,000 videos posted by the company have received more than 16 million views on YouTube alone.
The two defendants, Kostiantyn Kalashnikov and Elena Afanasyeva are charged with “conspiracy to commit money laundering and violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act,” Worthy News learned.
“They are at large,” police said.
DENYING WRONGDOING
It was not immediately clear if they had lawyers.
US investigators say Kremlin-backed media favor former President Donald J. Trump over his rival and current Vice President Kamala Harris in the race to the White House.
RT said has denied wrongdoing.
However, “We certainly react. Actually, we had several, but we couldn’t decide on one (we even thought of running an office poll), so here they are,” the network added.
It condemned the arrests of staff members, saying, “2016 called, and it wants its clichés back.”
RT added: “Three things are certain in life: death, taxes, and RT’s interference in the U.S. elections.”
Additionally, “We gotta earn our Kremlin paycheck somehow,” and “Somewhere Secretary Clinton is sad that it’s not because of her.”
Copyright 1999-2024 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
Latest Stories from Worthy News
Iran has canceled plans to attack Israel following Donald J. Trump’s victory in the recent U.S. presidential elections, Israeli and Iranian officials say.
Hundreds gathered in the center of Amsterdam Thursday to rally against rising antisemitism after the Dutch capital’s first pogrom since World War Two and an attack on pro-Israel group Christenen voor Israel (‘Christians for Israel’).
The Biden administration is moving forward with a $680 million arms package to Israel, including thousands of Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) kits and hundreds of small-diameter bombs, a U.S. official confirmed Wednesday, as reported by the Financial Times.
A confidential clause in the U.S.-Israel side agreement to the Lebanon ceasefire, known as the “Iranian clause” and reportedly focusing on Iran, was a key element of Israel’s acceptance of the ceasefire agreement with Lebanon.
The well-known Jewish neighborhood of Hendon in London, England, has been targeted with leaflets containing the words “Every Zionist needs to leave Britain or be slaughtered,” GB News reported on Wednesday, November 27. The message was written in both English and Hebrew.