A group of FSB spies was exposed in the USA: it consisted of Russians and Americans

US Department of Justice reports that US citizens and Russian intelligence officials are accused of conspiring to use Americans as illegal agents of the Russian government.

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The defendants tried to sow discord, spread pro-Russian propaganda and interfere in US elections.

Four US citizens and three Russian citizens were charged with working on behalf of the Russian government and in conjunction with the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) and spreading harmful foreign influence in the US over the years.

Among other things, the indictment alleges that the Russian defendants recruited, funded and directed US political groups to act as unregistered illegal agents of the Russian government and distribute pro-Russian propaganda. The accused intelligence officers, in particular, were involved in covert funding and influencing candidates for local positions in the United States.

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In addition, a criminal case was uncovered in the District of Columbia in which Russian citizen Natalya Burlinova was accused of conspiring with an FSB officer to act as Russia's illegal agent in the United States.

“The Russian Foreign Intelligence Service allegedly weaponized our First Amendment rights—freedoms that Russia denies its citizens—to divide Americans and interfere in elections in the United States,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew J. Olsen of the department. Homeland Security Department of Justice. “The Department will not hesitate to expose and hold accountable those who sow discord and corrupt U.S. elections and serve hostile foreign interests, whether the perpetrators are U.S. citizens or foreign persons abroad.”

“The Russian government’s efforts to covertly influence U.S. elections will not be tolerated,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The Criminal Division is committed to rooting out malicious foreign influence in the U.S. political system and helping to ensure the integrity of our elections.”

“Today’s case paints a horrifying picture of the actions of the Russian government and the lengths to which the FSB will go to interfere in our elections, sow discord in our country, and ultimately implicate U.S. citizens in its efforts,” said FBI Acting Assistant Director Kurt Ronnow. . “All Americans should be deeply concerned about the tactics used by the FSB and remain vigilant against any attempts to undermine our democracy.” The FBI remains committed to combating this egregious behavior and ultimately eliminating our adversaries and those who act on their behalf.”

AGMR case

According to the indictment, Alexander Viktorovich Ionov, a resident of Moscow, was the founder and president of the Russian Anti-Globalization Movement (AGMR), an organization headquartered in Moscow and funded by the Russian government. Ionov allegedly used the AGMR to carry out a campaign of Russian malign influence on the US. These attempts were allegedly directed and controlled by Moscow-based FSB officers, including defendants Alexei Borisovich Sukhodolov and Yegor Sergeevich Popov.

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"Prosecuting this criminal behavior is essential to protecting American society when foreign governments attempt to interfere in the American political process," said US Attorney Roger B. Handberg.

Among other illegal activities, Ionov, Sukhodolov, and Popov conspired to directly and significantly influence Democratic elections in the United States by covertly funding and directing a specific candidate's political campaign for local office in St. Petersburg, Florida in 2019. For example, it is alleged that Popov directly called this work on behalf of the FSB "our election campaign", and Ionov called the candidate "a candidate whom we supervise." Ionov and Popov allegedly counted on this election interference plot to go beyond the 2019 local election cycle in St. Petersburg, and subsequently discussed that the “US presidential election” was the FSB’s “big topic of the year.”

Moreover, from at least November 2014 to July 2022, Ionov allegedly participated in a multi-year foreign campaign of malign influence directed against the United States. Ionov allegedly recruited members of political groups in the United States, including the African Popular Socialist Party and the Uhuru Movement (collectively, APSP) in Florida, Black Hammer in Georgia, and a political group in California (referred to in the indictment as US Political Group 3), engage in an influence campaign and act as Russian agents in the United States, including the following defendants:

• Omali Yeshitela, a US citizen living in St. Petersburg, Florida and St. Louis, Missouri, who was chairman and founder of APSP;
• Penny Joanne Hess, US citizen living in St. Petersburg, Florida and St. Louis, Missouri, who led part of the APSP;
• Jesse Nevel, a US citizen living in St. Petersburg, Florida and St. Louis, Missouri, who was a member of the APSP; And
• August S. Romain, Jr., also known as Gazi Kozo, is a US citizen living in St. Petersburg, Florida, and Atlanta who was the leader of the APSP and founder of Black Hammer in Georgia.

One aspect of Ionov's alleged influence operation was to create the appearance of American support for Russia's annexation of territories in Ukraine. For example, in May 2020, Ionov allegedly sent a request to members of US political groups to make statements in support of the independence of the so-called Donetsk People's Republic.

Ionov's use of APSP to promote Russian propaganda against Ukraine allegedly continued after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. On the day Russia invaded Ukraine, February 24, 2022, Ionov allegedly emailed Nevel an "Urgent Message" containing pro-Russian talking points in support of the invasion. Thereafter, throughout March 2022, the APSP repeatedly contacted Ionov via video conference to discuss the war, during which Ionov falsely claimed that anyone who supported Ukraine also supported Nazism and white supremacy, and Yeshitela and another APSP member allegedly did statements of solidarity with the Russian authorities and government.

Ionov, Sukhodolov, Popov, Yeshitela, Hess, Nevel, and Romain are accused of conspiring to force U.S. citizens to act as unlawful agents of the Russian government on United States soil without prior notice to the Attorney General, as required by law.

If found guilty, they each face a maximum sentence of five years in prison. Yeshitela, Hess and Nevel are also accused of acting as Russian agents in the United States without such advance notice. If found guilty, they each face a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.

Case Burlinova

Russian citizen Natalya Burlinova, a resident of Moscow, colluded with an FSB officer to recruit Americans from academic and research institutions to travel to Russia to participate in the public diplomatic program "Meet Russia". The program was led by PICREADI, a Russian organization headed by Burlinova, funded by the Russian government and dedicated to promoting Russia's national interests.

“The defendant is accused of violating our foreign agent laws to further Russian national interests here in the United States by concealing from the public that her recruitment efforts were funded by Russian security services,” said District Attorney Matthew M. Graves. “We will continue to expose these serious crimes and bring to justice those who commit them.”

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The affidavit alleges that the FSB officer financed and supported Burlinova's foreign recruitment and her efforts to promote Russian interests in the United States. In response, Burlinova provided the FSB officer with extensive information about US citizens recruited to participate in her programs, including their resumes, passport details, photographs, and analysis of their views on Russia.

Further, Burlinova named to the FSB officer specific US citizens who, according to Burlinova, had a positive attitude towards Russia and were ready to continue cooperation. During a recruiting trip to the United States in the fall of 2018, Burlinova met with Americans at various universities and research institutes and handed over photographs of her meetings to an FSB officer. The FSB officer used the information provided by Burlinova to prepare operational reports.

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