Alright folks, hold on tight because we’re about to take a wild ride through a crazy case of remlin propaganda in Florida and Missouri! The FBI has uncovered some serious shenanigans by a Moscow man, Aleksandr Viktorovich Ionov, who allegedly worked for Russian government officials to fund and direct fringe political groups in the United States. And get this, he even advised the political campaigns of two mystery candidates for public office in Florida. What a sneaky little devil!
But wait, there’s more! Ionov’s influence efforts were allegedly directed and supervised by officers of the FSB, a Russian government intelligence service. Wow, it’s like a Russian spy novel come to life. Who knew Florida was such a hot spot for international espionage?
And now, authorities have added charges against four Americans who allegedly did Ionov’s bidding through groups like the African People’s Socialist Party and the Uhuru Movement in Florida, Black Hammer in Georgia, and an unidentified political group in California — all in an effort to influence American politics. Talk about getting caught up in the wrong crowd!
But it’s not all fun and games. Ionov actually sought to use these groups to promote Russia’s occupation of part of Ukraine and even the eventual invasion of that country in 2022. Yikes, it just got real serious real fast.
The charged Americans are African People’s Socialist Party leaders Omali Yeshitela, Penny Joanne Hess, Jesse Nevel, and Augustus C. Romain Jr., all of whom reside or used to reside in St. Petersburg, Fla. That’s right folks, this case has ties to the land of sunshine and retirees.
“Russia’s foreign intelligence service allegedly weaponized our First Amendment rights — freedoms Russia denies its own citizens — to divide Americans and interfere in elections in the United States,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen in a written statement. The Justice Department is not taking this lightly and they will stop at nothing to uncover and prosecute those who sow discord and corrupt U.S. elections in service of hostile foreign interests, whether they’re U.S. citizens or foreign individuals.
The charges filed in federal court in Tampa accuse Ionov of running the Anti-Globalization Movement of Russia, which U.S. officials say is funded by the Russian government and directed by FSB officers Aleksey Borisovich Sukhodolov and Yegor Sergeyevich Popov. Sounds like they’re all in cahoots over there in Mother Russia.
When the FBI searched the homes and offices of some of the suspects last year, a member of the group said they were being targeted “because of our relationship with forces internationally who support the anti-colonial struggle,” adding that the group was being used “in a propaganda war against Russia”. Is it just me or does this sound like a plotline from a bad action movie?
But that’s not all, folks. Tuesday, the Justice Department filed another Russian influence case in the nation’s capital, accusing Natalia Burlinova, a Russian citizen, of conspiring with the FSB to recruit U.S. academics and researchers to travel to Russia as part of a public diplomacy program called Meeting Russia. The program, authorities say, was funded by the Russian government and designed to promote Russian national interests. Burlinova is accused of helping the FSB gather information on Americans without registering her work on behalf of the Russian government. Looks like everyone’s getting in on the Russian spy game these days!

Serious News: washingtonpost