Russia sent $300 million to foreign parties and candidates, according to the US | world | Dr..

Russia has secretly sent at least $300 million to foreign political parties and candidates in more than 20 countries since 2014 to gain influence, according to a US intelligence document released Tuesday (9/13/2022).

A US official said the United States “believes these are low estimates and that Russia may have secretly transferred additional funds in undiscovered cases.” Information about specific countries has not been released.

The document cites the case of a Russian ambassador to an unnamed Asian country who allegedly provided millions of dollars to a presidential candidate.

President Joe Biden’s administration requested the assessment after Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, which prompted Washington to try to isolate Moscow and arm Kyiv.

The official said that the United States is sharing with the governments of more than 100 countries the information found in the framework of the “Summit of Democracies” initiative launched by Biden after the defeat of Republican Donald Trump in the elections. The new assessment does not cover US domestic policy.

In the past, US intelligence services have accused Moscow of interfering in the 2016 elections, mainly by manipulating social networks, to support Trump, who has expressed admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“The United States is working hard to address our weaknesses, and we encourage other countries to do the same,” the official said.

gs (afp, ap)