Washington claims Russia paid $300 million to influence foreign elections

According to a US intelligence estimate released Tuesday, Russia has quietly funneled at least $300 million to political parties and candidates in more than 20 countries since 2014 in an effort to influence elections there.

A senior US official said the United States “considers these to be minimum estimates and that Russia has secretly transferred more funds that have not been identified”.

“We think this is just the tip of the iceberg,” he told reporters on condition of anonymity.

US intelligence did not name the countries involved. In the past, US officials have cited Bosnia or Ecuador as examples of countries where Russia has exerted direct influence through its economic power.

Among the most striking cases cited in this new analysis was a Russian ambassador to an Asian country who gave millions of dollars to a presidential candidate.

In Europe, Moscow used fictitious contracts and front companies to finance political parties, while Russian state companies funded Central America, Asia, the Middle East and North Africa, according to Washington.

Russia sometimes sent cash, but also reportedly used cryptocurrencies and “luxurious” gifts.

The Joe Biden administration requested this assessment from his services in the wake of the February 24 invasion of Ukraine, which led the United States to do everything to isolate Moscow and arm Kyiv.

The US embassy will share the findings with the governments of more than 100 other countries, the senior official said.

This new assessment does not analyze Russian interference in US politics.

But US intelligence services have previously accused Russia of meddling in the 2016 US election, including using social media to support Donald Trump, who has expressed admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The United States is “working hard to address (their) weaknesses” and encourages “other countries to do the same and join (them) in this important effort,” the official said.

An internal State Department document addressed to American representatives abroad asserts that Russia conducted the fundraising campaign to “increase its influence over individuals and parties” and then ensure they “get good results in elections.”

US accusations of US interference are often met with derision from Russian officials who point to US intelligence supporting coups in Iran or Chile.