Russian agents infiltrated Argentine media outlets in 2024 to try to discredit President Javier Milei, allegedly paying for hundreds of articles to paint a bleak picture of his government and economic record, an international media consortium revealed on Friday.
The investigation showed that a Russian spy network known as "The Company" or “La Compañía” set up a clandestine system to amplify bad news or plant fake stories about Milei's economic policies on local news sites and social networks.
"The espionage that has come to light is of an institutional gravity rarely seen in history," Milei said in a post on X reacting to the news.
The La Libertad Avanza claimed that “‘journalists’ and ‘media outlets’ linked to this are only the tip of the iceberg of something much bigger.”
“We will pursue this to the fullest extent to identify all the direct and indirect actors who participated in this illegal espionage network,” Milei said.
Milei’s government said last year that it had uncovered a Russian espionage and disinformation ring called “La Compañía.”
It said that a Russian husband-and-wife team headed the organisation, which disseminated content on social media, influenced civil society groups and NGOs and spied on Moscow's behalf.
The latest revelations are based on 76 leaked documents obtained by an investigative consortium comprising of African news outlet The Continent, Britain's openDemocracy, Russia's own iStories and Dossier Center and France's All Eyes on Wagner and Forbidden Stories.
In the leaked documents, Russian agents claim that they spent US$283,000 to place around 250 articles in over 20 Argentine news sites between June and October 2024. The investigation suggests these costs may have been inflated.
Most of the 20 media outlets targeted told the consortium that they received no money to publish the articles, which had been submitted by news agencies, consulting groups or other intermediaries. Many of the pieces were linked to Argentina’s stance on the Ukraine war.
Two sources, however, admitted to being paid to publish content from businessmen who said they were concerned about Milei's budget-slashing policies.
Many articles had no author and when bylines did appear they were invented names, in some cases with photos created using software.
The media investigation also revealed a Russian attempt to trigger a diplomatic stand-off between Argentina and neighbouring Chile, which at the time was led by left-wing president Gabriel Boric. It involved circulating a fake news story claiming Milei had sent a "sabotage group" to attack a gas pipeline between the two countries.
Argentina's SIDE intelligence secretariat said it had already investigated the Russian meddling and that the affair was in the hands of the courts.
The Argentine Journalism Forum (FOPEA) press watchdog published an investigation on the mechanisms of Russian disinformation in Argentina two months ago.
The Russian Embassy in Argentina issued a public response to the investigation, flatly denying the existence of a disinformation campaign.
In a statement, the diplomatic mission in Buenos Aires described the accusations as “baseless” and warned the investigation could be part of a deliberate attempt to “undermine bilateral relations” between the two nations.
The Embassy said Russia does not conduct disinformation campaigns in Argentina and questioned the accuracy of the reports that have been circulated.
– TIMES/AFP/NA
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