US intelligence: from Russia 300 million to parties in other countries

Russia has spent over $ 300 million since 2014 trying to influence politicians and officials in about twenty countries. This is the picture outlined in a US State Department document, as reported by the Washington Post. The cable, signed by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, is based on intelligence information relating to the strategies implemented by Russia to create a network of consensus and support around Moscow. The document does not explicitly mention Moscow’s goals but clarifies that the United States is providing classified information to specific individual countries. The network created by Moscow to support individuals and causes would have involved think tanks in Europe and public companies in Central America, Asia, the Middle East and North Africa. In particular, according to the Washington Post, a member of the US administration pointed out that Russian President Vladimir Putin has spent huge sums “in an attempt to manipulate democracies from within”. The newspaper asked, without obtaining it, a comment from the Russian embassy in Washington. In the spotlight, in particular, Russian activities in Ukraine: the source consulted by the WP did not clarify how much money Moscow spent in the country led by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and invaded in February by Russian forces. There