Argentine authorities have detained 26-year-old Russian citizen Dmitry Novikov, accusing him of leading a Kremlin-linked disinformation network operating across Latin America. The arrest was confirmed by Argentina’s State Intelligence Secretariat (SIDE) after Novikov allegedly provided false information when entering the country.
According to Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation, Novikov was apprehended in the suburbs of Buenos Aires after arriving on an April 12 flight from Istanbul. Argentine officials are currently considering his deportation to Russia pending the outcome of his appeal.
Authorities say Novikov headed “La Compañía,” also known as the “Lakhta” network, a covert influence operation allegedly linked to Russian intelligence services and the Wagner private military company. The network was reportedly first established by late Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin before later falling under the control of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service.
The structure had previously focused its activities in Africa before expanding into Latin America in 2024, with Argentina identified as a major target. Argentine Security Minister Alejandra Monteoliva said that Novikov entered the country posing as a tourist but had allegedly arrived to “destabilize and infringe on our institutions.”
Born in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Novikov reportedly traveled extensively across Latin America over the past two years, including visits to Chile, Colombia, Panama, Brazil, and the Dominican Republic. Dominican authorities deported him in September over suspected involvement in foreign disinformation campaigns.
In June 2025, Argentine officials exposed another Kremlin-linked influence network connected to “Project Lakhta,” the global disinformation operation previously sanctioned by the United States for foreign election interference.
Separately, New Zealand has sanctioned several Russian cyber actors supporting Russia’s war against Ukraine. Those include Structura and the Social Design Agency, two companies linked to influence and disinformation operations. Additional sanctions targeted Aeza Group, MediaLand, and MLCloud bulletproof hosting providers, as well as their senior executives. The move follows similar sanctions previously introduced by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, and Australia.