type: timeline_event Beginning in approximately October 2023, employees of RT (Russia Today), the Kremlin-funded international broadcaster, began channeling money to Tenet Media, a Tennessee-based media company, to fund content production by prominent American conservative influencers. The arrangement, which would be exposed by a Department of Justice indictment in September 2024, involved RT employees using shell companies in Turkey, the UAE, and Mauritius to obscure the Russian origin of approximately $9.7 million in payments—representing 90% of Tenet Media's total bank deposits over the period.
Tenet Media contracted with several high-profile right-wing podcasters and social media personalities, including Tim Pool, Benny Johnson, Dave Rubin, Lauren Chen, and Liam Donovan. Pool reportedly received approximately $100,000 per video produced for the operation. The influencers, who collectively commanded audiences of millions across YouTube, Spotify, and social media platforms, published content consistent with Russian information warfare objectives, including amplifying political division in the United States and promoting narratives favorable to Russian interests. The DOJ alleged the influencers were unaware of the Russian source of funding, though they continued receiving payments.
The operation represented a sophisticated information warfare strategy: rather than producing obviously Russian-sourced propaganda, RT employees effectively laundered Russian messaging through credentialed American voices with established domestic audiences. Over the approximate 10-month operation, Tenet Media-funded creators produced more than 2,000 videos accumulating 16 million YouTube views. The DOJ indictment charged two RT employees—identified as "Kostya" and "Lena"—with conspiracy to violate foreign agent registration requirements and money laundering. The case demonstrated how foreign influence operations had evolved to exploit the American influencer economy rather than attempting to build authentic foreign-branded media presence.