In the Dominican Republic, they detained a Russian citizen associated with a disinformation campaign, which organized spy operations in the Dominican Republic and other Latin American countries, including Argentina. This was announced on Friday by the local prosecutor’s office, TASR reports according to AFP.
Dmitry Novikov (25) was detained in his house in the resort of Bavaro on the east coast of this Caribbean state.
According to the Dominican Prosecutor’s Office, he managed cyber operations associated with the so -called. Lacht’s project, namely a Russian disinformation campaign on social networks, launched in the meantime by the late Russian oligarch Yevgeny Prigozin and later became known thanks to the US investigation in 2018.
Operations managed in several countries
In June, Argentina announced that it revealed a group of Russian spies in its territory just in this project. The Dominican Prosecutor’s Office has now informed that the detainee of Novikov managed operations aimed at influencing public opinion in the Dominican Republic and in other Latin American countries, including Argentina.
According to the prosecutor’s findings, he settled in the tourists sought after by the Dominican Republic to “prevent the revelation of the origin of the content (spread on the Internet)”. He pretended there as a wrestler of martial arts, concealed his nationality and used the so -called financial transactions. Kryptopeňaženky. Investigators say they have also discovered evidence that associates it with the sale and distribution of firearms.
They focused on social networks
The spy network unveiled in Argentina – known as La Companía (Society) – associated with the Lachta project was led by the findings of the local authorities Russian citizen Lev Konstantinovich Andriašvili together with his wife Irina Jakovnková, also Russian.
According to the Argentine secret service Side and the statements of the Argentine government spokesman Manuel Adorni, this couple made contacts in the country, received and distributed funds intended to spread misinformation.
According to Adorni, the couple created and spread disinformation content on social networks, influenced Argentine civil or non -governmental organizations. Focus groups with Argentinians and Russia obtained political information.
