The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida recently announced the unsealing of an indictment charging a Russian national with masterminding a years-long effort to use domestic political organizations to promote division, disseminate Russian propaganda and interfere in American elections.

According to a Department of Justice news release, the indictment alleges Aleksandr Viktorovich Ionov, a Moscow resident and founder and president of the Anti-Globalization Movement of Russia, met with multiple Russian officials from at least December 2014 to March 2022 and engaged in efforts to target the U.S.

Viktorovich Ionov worked for his country’s government in connection with the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB), the release stated.  

“As court documents show, Ionov allegedly orchestrated a brazen influence campaign, turning U.S. political groups and U.S. citizens into instruments of the Russian government,” Matthew Olsen, assistant attorney general with the DOJ, said in the release. “The Department of Justice will not allow Russia to unlawfully sow division and spread misinformation inside the United States.”

Assistant Attorney General, Kenneth Polite Jr., who works in the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, said efforts by foreign governments to influence American elections threaten American democracy, in the release.

Polite also said the DOJ is committed to ensuring a secure and transparent electoral process free from foreign interference.

U.S. Attorney Roger Handberg, said the prosecution of Ionov helps ensure American interests are protected when foreign governments try to interfere in U.S. elections, in the release. He said the DOJ will work with the FBI to investigate foreign interference incidents.