Federal investigators have charged a suspected Russian government agent for trying to sow discord in the US, including paying a black-led political group to protest Facebook’s parent Meta.
On Friday, the Justice Department unsealed an indictment against Moscow resident Aleksandr Viktorovich Ionov that claims he orchestrated “a years-long foreign malign influence campaign” in the US.
The foreign influence campaign began back in 2014 and lasted until this past March. Ionov allegedly conspired with at least three other Russian government officials to carry out the influence campaign, which involved spreading propaganda and trying to interfere in US elections.
In addition, Ionov’s most recent activities have been linked to orchestrating a March protest at Meta’s headquarters near San Francisco. According to the indictment, back in March Ionov sent a message to a co-conspirator about a poster design to protest a US social media company’s decision to restrict content that supported Russia’s decision to invade Ukraine.
On March 19th, the Russian then spent $2,883 to buy plane tickets for the co-conspirator and three members of a US political group from Atlanta, Georgia to travel to San Francisco to hold the protest.
The indictment doesn’t name the social media company or the political group. But the details and the timing matches with a March 23rd protest at Meta’s headquarters that involved a radical group called Black Hammer, which is based in Atlanta. Video of the demonstration shows four supporters of the group standing next to Meta’s corporate logo, and holding up a Russian flag.
According to the indictment, Ionov received a video of the protest at Meta. It then implies he organized a Russian news outlet to cover the event for propaganda purposes. “Ionov sent UIC-5 (unindicted co-conspirator) electronic message with a picture of a Russian news website’s social media page displaying a Russian-language news story about a protest,” the indictment says, later adding: “defendant Ionov commented: ‘900,000 followers’ and ‘1500 likes.’”
Black Hammer did not immediately respond to a request for comment. It’s website says the group exists to “take the Land Back for all colonized people worldwide.” According to the Anti-Defamation League, Black Hammer also supports various far-right causes, including anti semitism and election conspiracy theories.
“Ionov allegedly orchestrated a brazen influence campaign, turning US political groups and US citizens into instruments of the Russian government,” said US Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen on Friday. According to federal investigators, Ionov also worked with two other US political groups, one in Florida, another in California, to further "Russian interests."
One of those others groups was the Florida-based Uhuru House, which is run by the African People’s Socialist Party, according to The Washington Post. The indictment also notes Ionov is the founder and president of the Anti-Globalization Movement of Russia, which is funded by the Kremlin.
The chances of the US actually prosecuting Ionov remain unlikely, unless he can be arrested outside Russia. But if he ever does face trial, he faces up to five years in prison.