A new chapter of the black novel opens. The soap opera of Russian interference in the political systems of its neighbors and enemies continues. Moscow has quietly spent at least $300 million funding political parties and candidates in more than 20 countries since 2014 in an attempt to influence elections there, according to a US intelligence estimate released Tuesday (September 13th). The clandestine campaign responds to an ambition: to weaken democratic systems and promote political forces considered to be aligned with the interests of Vladimir Putin’s regime.
These estimates are minimal and could turn out to be well below the reality of the Russian maneuvers. “We believe this is just the tip of the iceberg,” a senior official told US reporters on condition of anonymity. The web woven by Moscow is sprawling. From Albania via Asia, no continent seems spared and hundreds of politicians have been approached, if we are to believe the various American intelligence sources quoted by newspapers across the Atlantic. “This is an attempt to erode the ability of people around the world to choose the governments they deem best suited to represent them,” said State Department spokesman Ned Price. .
Front companies, think tanks, political events… Russia knows which devices to press in order to influence the domestic affairs of a country. Thanks to donations of cash, but also cryptocurrencies and so-called “luxurious” gifts, Russian intelligence executives have managed to chaperone leading politicians. First, in Europe.
Moscow has made Brussels its rear base by inaugurating numerous foundations and structures to support far-right candidates. Fictitious contracts and front companies were used to disguise the financing. According to a source close to the Biden administration quoted by AFP, Russia spent around $500,000 to support a candidate from the center-right political family of the Democratic Party of Albania, during electoral appointments in 2017. Moscow is also said to have funded parties or candidates in Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Numerous journalistic investigations, published in recent years, had revealed the pressure exerted on the British system during the referendum on the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union, in particular. Rather, they brought to light the role of “trolls”, these active accounts aimed at influencing an opinion on social networks, in building the support of the British for Brexit.
American diplomacy should share these conclusions with the governments of more than 100 countries since its report reveals maneuvers that are not limited to European soil. Russian public companies would have channeled funds to Central America, Asia, the Middle East and North Africa, according to Washington, always with a view to supporting political parties friendly to the regime. Without revealing the identity of the latter, the report points to a candidate for a presidential election, in Asia, who would have received millions of dollars offered by the Russian ambassador of his country.
Moscow’s hand also extends to Madagascar where drifts are pointed. The Russian embassy in Ecuador also received “large sums” of money between 2014 and 2017, apparently with the aim of influencing the outcome of elections, adds the same senior American official. South America, Europe, Africa… The eye of Moscow has a panoramic view.
