US: Russia Spent $300M+ To Sway Foreign Elections

NBC News reports:

Russia has spent more than $300 million in a global campaign to influence foreign political events, according to a newly declassified U.S. intelligence review.

Moscow has covertly funded political parties, officials and politicians in at least two dozen nations across four continents since 2014, the U.S. said Tuesday, as the Kremlin’s role in other countries’ affairs comes under greater scrutiny after its invasion of Ukraine.

President Joe Biden’s administration is sharing details of the review with 110 countries as part of its campaign to expose Russia’s actions by making them public.

The New York Times reports:

“The Kremlin and its proxies have transferred these funds in an effort to shape foreign political environments in Moscow’s favor,” the document said. It added, “The United States will use official liaison channels with targeted countries to share still classified information about Russian activities targeting their political environments.”

The State Department document was sent as a cable to American embassies around the world on Monday to summarize talking points for U.S. diplomats in conversations with foreign officials.

Ned Price, the State Department spokesman, confirmed at a news conference on Tuesday that the findings on Russia were the result of work by U.S. intelligence agencies. He added that Russian election meddling was “an assault on sovereignty,” similar to Russia’s war on Ukraine. “In order to fight this, in many ways we have to put a spotlight on it,” he said.

Russia covertly gave at least $300 million to political parties, officials and politicians in more than two dozen countries since 2014, and plans to transfer millions more, with the goal of exerting political influence and swaying elections, the U.S. said. https://t.co/FLDCoLs5Yd

— The New York Times (@nytimes) September 14, 2022