Argentina says Russian spy ring promoted disinformation
BUENOS AIRES: Argentina said it has detected Russian spies operating in the country to promote Moscow's interests through disinformation campaigns and fake news.
Presidential spokesman Manuel Adorni said intelligence officers identified an organisation called 'The Company,' allegedly linked to Russia's government and Project Lakhta, which the United States says is a Moscow-based operation conducting political interference.
Russian citizen Lev Konstantinovich Andriashvili, based in Argentina, allegedly headed the organisation with his wife Irina Yakovenko, also a Russian. Both were responsible for 'receiving financing and promoting links with local collaborators,' Adorni said in a statement Wednesday.
The group's goal was 'to form a group of people loyal to Russia's interests' to carry out disinformation campaigns against the Argentine state, the spokesman added.
The Russian spy network created and disseminated content on social media, influencing local civil organizations and NGOs, developing focus groups with Argentine citizens and obtaining political information for Russia, he added.
'Argentina will not be subjected to the influence of any other nation,' Adorni said, adding that 'the safety of Argentines is not a secondary matter.'
According to the US Treasury Department, Project Lakhta is a Russian disinformation campaign targeting audiences in the United States, Europe, Ukraine and even Russia itself.
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