Authorities in Argentina said they have uncovered an alleged Russian spy network operating in the country to promote Moscow's interests through disinformation campaigns.
Presidential spokesman Manuel Adorni said intelligence officers identified an organization called "The Company," supposedly linked to Russia's government and Project Lakhta, which the United States claims is a Moscow-based operation engaged in political interference.
Russian national Lev Konstantinovich Andriashvili, based in Argentina, was said to head the organization along with his wife Irina Yakovenko, also a Russian citizen. Both were responsible for "receiving financing and promoting links with local collaborators," Adorni said in a statement on Wednesday.
The organization's objective was "to form a group of people loyal to Russia's interests" so that they would carry out disinformation campaigns against the Argentine state, the spokesman added.
"The Company" allegedly created and disseminated content on social media, influencing local civic organizations and NGOs, as well as developed focus groups with Argentine citizens and obtained political information for Russia.
"Argentina will not be subjected to the influence of any other nation," Adorni said, adding that "the safety of Argentines is not a secondary matter."
According to the U.S. Treasury Department, Project Lakhta is a Russian disinformation campaign targeting audiences in the United States, Europe, Ukraine and even in Russia itself.
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