Key Russian influencers sanctioned by US Treasury department

A pair of Russians and the companies they own have been sanctioned over a “foreign malign influence campaign” to impersonate European media websites.

The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has sanctioned two individuals and their companies for their role in malign influence operations and impersonating media outlets.

Ilya Andreevich Gambashidze and his Moscow-based company Social Design Agency, alongside Nikolai Aleksandrovich Tupikin and his Company Group Structura LLC, were sanctioned overnight for their roles in a 2022 campaign that impersonated a raft of media outlets.

Gambashidze and Tupikin created a network of more than 60 websites impersonating major European media outlets, backed by social media accounts to spread the content of the fake sites. The campaign had the backing of the Russian government, according to OFAC.

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“We are committed to exposing Russia’s extensive campaigns of government-directed deception, which are intended to mislead voters and undermine trust in democratic institutions in the United States and around the world,” Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian E. Nelson said in a statement.

“The United States, along with our allies and partners, remains steadfast in defending our democratic principles and the credibility of our elections.”

The sanctions mean that all US property owned by the pair is blocked and must be reported to OFAC. Further, any US-based transactions with the pair are now prohibited, and any individuals or entities attempting to do so could face further enforcement actions.

“The prohibitions include the making of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services by, to, or for the benefit of any designated person, or the receipt of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services from any such person,” OFAC said in a release.

David Hollingworth

David Hollingworth has been writing about technology for over 20 years, and has worked for a range of print and online titles in his career. He is enjoying getting to grips with cyber security, especially when it lets him talk about Lego.