US sanctions executives, employees of Russia's RT network in $10 million scheme

The US Treasury Department has imposed sanctions on Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of Russian broadcaster RT, as well as her deputies Anton Anisimov and Elizaveta Brodskaya.

In addition, RT’s Deputy Director of Information Broadcasting, Andrey Kiyashko, Digital Media Projects Manager Konstantin Kalashnikov, and Elena Afanasyeva, an employee in the Digital Media Projects Department, were also blacklisted, Caliber.Az reports, citing Russian media.

The US State Department has also taken action by designating the Rossiya Segodnya media group and its subsidiaries — RIA Novosti, RT, TV-Novosti, Ruptly, and Sputnik — as "foreign missions." The statement clarified, "Today’s designations complement law enforcement actions taken by the Department of Justice and the Department of State’s designation of the Rossiya Segodnya media group and five of its subsidiaries...as Foreign Missions, steps to impose visa restrictions, and release of a Rewards for Justice (RFJ) reward offer of up to $10 million relating to information pertaining to foreign interference in a US election."

US Attorney General Merrick Garland added while announcing the sanctions against RT executives that charges had been unsealed against two RT employees, Konstantin Kalashnikov and Elena Afanasyeva, for violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) and money laundering. Garland stated, "The Justice Department has charged two employees of RT, a Russian state-controlled media outlet, in a $10 million scheme to create and distribute content to US audiences with hidden Russian government messaging."

Both Kalashnikov and Afanasyeva were indicted in the Southern District of New York on September 4.