Spies in Argentina have uncovered a group of Russian residents allegedly involved in disinformation campaigns that were acting on the orders of Moscow, a top government official said Wednesday.
News of the shadowy group – known as “La Compañía,” or “The Company” – was confirmed at a press conference midweek by Presidential Spokesperson Manuel Adorni, who claimed the entity was linked to the Russian government.
"The State Intelligence Secretariat (SIDE) detected a group of Russian residents in Argentina who were allegedly carrying out suspicious activities in favour of Russia's geopolitical interests in close collaboration with Argentine citizens," Adorni confirmed at a press conference on Wednesday.
“Argentina will not be subjected to the influence of any other nation,” he added.
The group is allegedly connected to a wider information warfare operation known as “Project Lakhta,” formerly led by Russian oligarch Yevgeniy Prigozhin, who died in August 2023.
According to the US Treasury Department, Project Lakhta is a Russian disinformation campaign targeting audiences in the United States, Europe, Ukraine and even Russia itself.
Revealing what he said was the "declassified part of the information," Adorni identified Lev Konstantinovich Andriashvili, a Russian citizen residing in Argentina, as the leader of the alleged group.
He is reportedly responsible for receiving financing and promoting links with local collaborators, supported by his wife, Irina Iakovenko, another Russian citizen who had settled in the country.
Authorities believe both are linked to GRU (Glavnoye Razvedyvatelnoye Upravlenie), the Russian military intelligence agency.
It is unclear if the duo have been detained.
The goal of “La Compañía,” according to the government’s version of events, was to “assemble a group of individuals loyal to Russian interests to carry out disinformation and influence campaigns against the Argentine state.”
According to the information released, its activities include creating and spreading content on social media, exerting influence on civil organisations, foundations and local NGOs, organising focus groups with Argentine citizens and gathering political information to be used in support of Russian interests.
“The safety of Argentines is not a secondary issue,” said Adorni.
Earlier this week, the government reformed Argentina’s federal police force by decree, granting it new powers and dividing its work into specialist bodies.
“Such is the importance this government places on security that yesterday it announced the creation of the Federal Investigations Department within the Federal Police, a new body dedicated to criminal investigation,” noted Adorni.
“From now on, the Federal Police will focus on conducting investigations to dismantle criminal organisations linked to drug-trafficking, terrorism and organised crime,” said the official, who won election to the Buenos Aires City Legislature, representing La Libertad Avanza, in May.
“In the context of the creation of the new Federal Investigations Department, the profile of investigators will be reformed, personnel will be trained in investigative techniques, and specialists will be incorporated in areas such as law, social psychology and computer science. Argentina will align itself with the standards of the United States FBI,” concluded Adorni.
– TIMES/NA/PERFIL
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