The Russia watchMueller indictments so far: Lies, trolls and hacks; smaller democracies & Russian meddling; targeting “deep fakes,” and more

Published 12 December 2018

  The Mueller indictments so far: Lies, trolls and hacks

  Secretive State Dept. offensive targets propaganda, ‘deep fakes’

  NRA leader, Jack Abramoff and GOP operative tied to alleged Russian spy Maria Butina have long history as foreign agents lobbying together

  Smaller democracies grapple with the threat of Russian interference

  Russia undermines the European order

  Russia linked to hacking of anti-propaganda initiative

  Russian influence in the media sectors of the Black Sea countries: Tools, narratives and policy options for building resilience

  Denigrating Ukraine with disinformation

The Mueller indictments so far: Lies, trolls and hacks (Jesus Rodriguez and Beatrice Jin, Politico)
At least 33 people and three companies have been charged so far as a result of the special counsel’s investigation into 2016 election tampering.

Secretive State Dept. offensive targets propaganda, ‘deep fakes’ (Guy Taylor, Washington Times)
The State Department is ramping up a secretive counter-propaganda center to fight Russian disinformation efforts in nearly two dozen nations as part of what Trump administration officials say is an expanding push to crush Moscow’s “fake news” influence operations around the world.
While Russian disinformation is a core target, officials say the push is tied to a wider overhaul of the department’s Global Engagement Center — an outfit that had been plagued in recent years by bureaucratic bungling and an unclear mandate — to target aggressively “big-power propaganda” undermining America’s image abroad.

NRA leader, Jack Abramoff and GOP operative tied to alleged Russian spy Maria Butina have long history as foreign agents lobbying together (Anna Massoglia, Center for Responsive Politics)
Alleged Russian spy Maria Butina has changed her plea to guilty, according to a new joint motion filed by her attorneys Monday.
As her attorneys were negotiating the plea deal, her partner, GOP operative Paul Erickson, lawyered up in light of reports swirling that he too may be targeted by federal prosecutors as a covert Russian agent.
Meanwhile, David Keene — a paid member of the NRA’s board of directors and former president of the gun rights organization who has faced scrutiny over ties to Butina’s alleged Russian influence operation — has registered as a different type of foreign agent lobbying for Argentina’s government.
Keene and Erickson have a long history together dating back to the 1990s when they were registered foreign agents lobbying, in collaboration with Jack Abramoff, for a well-known “dictator” to gain entry into the United States.