Since 2014, Russia has spent more than $300 million to covertly influence politicians in at least 24 countries. The US State Department reported this on the basis of a classified assessment of US intelligence services. According to a senior White House official, who wishes to remain anonymous, this is “the tip of the iceberg.”
The official stressed that the amount mentioned was likely to be higher and that the money had also been transferred “in cases not detected”. The intelligence report did not mention specific countries the Kremlin was targeting, but it does refer to countries on four different continents. The affected countries are currently being kept confidential by the United States. State Department spokesman Ned Price described the alleged covert funding by Russia as an “attack on sovereignty.”
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half a billion
However, Agence France-Presse learns, based on an anonymous source, that Russia spent $500,000, among other things, to support the center-right Democratic Party there during the Albanian elections 2017. According to Agence France-Presse, the Russians were also going to funnel money to political parties. The candidates are from Bosnia, Montenegro and Madagascar.
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Brussels hub
Note: According to the source, Brussels could have been used as a hub through which far-right candidates could be supported, and shell companies could have been used to fund European parties and buy influence elsewhere. The United States accused Russia of interfering in the US presidential election. Russia has long denied the allegations, accusing the United States of meddling in Russia’s 2021 parliamentary elections.
By the way, the United States has done this more than once, according to a study by Carnegie Mellon University: between 1946 and 2000, the United States interfered more than 80 times worldwide in the elections of other people. coups or attempts system change Don’t run along.
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