The US State Department announced that visa restrictions had also been imposed and offered a reward of up to $10 million for information on foreign interference in the country’s elections.
The US Treasury has imposed sanctions on RT TV over Moscow’s attempt to influence the presidential election introduced.
It should be noted that two organizations and 10 individuals were sanctioned. The restrictions were applied to the Russia Today media group and its five affiliates – RIA Novosti, RT, TV-Novosti Ruptly and Sputnik.
Restrictions were also imposed on RT editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyanová and eight top managers.
According to the Ministry of Finance, structures of the Russia Today media group are included in the list of foreign missions. The State Department announced visa restrictions and offered a reward of up to $10 million for information on foreign meddling in the US election. The State Department added that the Russia Today media group and its subsidiaries in the United States will have to report their employees and assets in the United States.
In addition, sanctions were applied to the “Dialog” project, which is responsible for the PR of the Ministry of Defense of Russia and spreads fakes about Ukraine, and its general director, Vladimir Tabak.
“The Russian government has long used a variety of tools, including generative artificial intelligence, deepfakes and disinformation, to undermine confidence in US election processes and institutions,” the Treasury Department said in a statement.
At the same time, RT employees Konstantin Kalashnikov and Yelena Afanasev were accused of violating foreign agent laws and money laundering. According to the agency’s version, they spent about 10 million dollars on publishing propaganda and false information that served the interests of Russia on social networks.
Margarita Simonyan has been under sanctions from the European Union, Great Britain and other Western countries since the beginning of Russia’s large-scale war against Ukraine. The US has not imposed any sanctions against Simonyan.
