Not The Usual Kremlin Suspects

Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition…or the International People’s Democratic Uhuru Movement

Yesterday the Department of Justice dropped a bombshell by announcing the indictment of a Russian national on charges of “working on behalf of the Russian government and in conjunction with the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB), with allegedly orchestrating a years-long foreign malign influence campaign that used various U.S. political groups to sow discord, spread pro-Russian propaganda, and interfere in elections within the United States.”

The Russian under indictment, Aleksandr Viktorovich Ionov, resides in Moscow and seems unlikely to ever appear in any U.S. court to face these charges, which carry a possible prison term of five years. Neither are the Americans whom Ionov stands accused of recruiting to do the Kremlin’s clandestine bidding yet charged with any crimes. Nevertheless, this is a significant development in Washington’s campaign to expose and counter foreign influence operations against American politics, which has been a major concern since our 2016 election, after they were marred by meddling by the Russian intelligence services.

Ionov, the founder and president of the Anti-Globalization Movement of Russia (AGMR), an obscure NGO that’s a rather transparent FSB front, is well known in Kremlin influence circles. A few years ago, Ionov was raising money for Maria Butina, the Russian intelligence operative and National Rifle Association fangirl who pleaded guilty to running illegal operations to influence our 2016 election to Moscow’s liking.