The United Kingdom has imposed sanctions on Russian Government-linked disinformation actors involved in foreign influence campaigns, including during the EU parliamentary elections this summer. The United States has expressed its support for these actions against the Social Design Agency (SDA), Structura, ANO Dialogue, Andrey Perla, Nikolai Tupikin, and Ilya Gambashidze. These measures are seen as crucial steps to safeguard the integrity of the global information environment.

These UK sanctions align with similar efforts by the United States over the past year to hold these actors accountable for their Kremlin-backed disinformation and propaganda activities. Last year, the Department’s Global Engagement Center revealed a pro-Kremlin information laundering scheme orchestrated by SDA and Structura in twelve Latin American countries. This operation involved covertly placing Kremlin-produced disinformation in local media outlets to masquerade as authentic news articles.

The U.S. Treasury Department also sanctioned Ilya Gambashidze, SDA, Nikolai Tupikin, ANO Dialogue, Structura, and others for their involvement in operations like "Doppelgänger." This operation featured a network of over 60 websites impersonating legitimate European news organizations and using deceptive social media accounts.

An open and fact-based information environment is essential for democratic societies. When malign actors linked to the Kremlin exploit this environment, democracies must respond accordingly. The recent exposure efforts targeting Kremlin disinformation highlight increasing coordination between the United States, the United Kingdom, and other international partners. Together they aim to ensure accountability for foreign malign information operations that threaten democratic processes.