The US Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has announced sanctions against two Russian nationals and their respective companies for their alleged involvement in cyber influence operations.
The individuals targeted are Ilya Andreevich Gambashidze, founder of Social Design Agency (SDA), and Nikolai Aleksandrovich Tupikin, CEO and current owner of Group Structura LLC (Structura), both aged 46.
The sanctions were imposed in connection with their purported role in a disinformation campaign known as Doppelganger, targeting audiences in Europe and the United States through the use of fake news sites and social media accounts.
According to the Treasury Department, SDA and Structura have been identified as significant actors in the Doppelganger campaign, allegedly providing services to the Russian government aimed at influencing foreign audiences. These services reportedly include the creation of websites impersonating government organizations and legitimate media outlets in Europe.
“Moscow employs an array of tools, including malign influence campaigns and illicit cyber activities, to undermine the interests of the United States and its allies and partners, including in Latin America, the Middle East, and Europe. Russia routinely uses its intelligence services, proxies, and influence tools in these efforts,” the Treasury said. “Russia’s influence actors have increasingly adapted their methods to hide their involvement by developing a vast ecosystem of Russian proxy websites, personas, and organizations which give the false appearance of being independent news sources.”
OFAC has blocked all property and interests in property of the designated individuals and entities that are within US jurisdiction. Additionally, any entities owned 50 percent or more by the blocked persons are also subject to these sanctions.