Russia has quietly sent at least US$300 million (about C$395 million) to political parties and candidates in more than 20 countries since 2014 in an attempt to influence elections there, according to an intelligence estimate Americans made public on Tuesday.
The United States “considers these to be minimum estimates, and that Russia likely secretly transferred more funds that were not detected,” a senior US official said.
“We think this is just the tip of the iceberg,” he told reporters on condition of anonymity.
US intelligence did not specify the names of the countries involved. In the past, US officials have cited Bosnia or Ecuador as examples of countries where Russia has exercised direct influence through its economic power.
Among the most striking cases cited in this new analysis is that of a Russian ambassador stationed in an Asian country, who gave millions of dollars to a presidential candidate.
In Europe, Moscow has used fictitious contracts and front companies to finance political parties, while Russian state companies funneled funds to Central America, Asia, the Middle East and North Africa, according to Washington.
Russia sometimes sent cash, but also used cryptocurrencies and “luxurious” gifts, according to the information.
The administration of Joe Biden had requested this estimate from his services in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine on February 24, which had led the United States to do everything to isolate Moscow and arm kyiv.
The senior official said US diplomacy would share these findings with the governments of more than 100 other countries.
This new assessment did not analyze Russian interference in American politics.
But US intelligence services have previously accused Russia of interfering in the 2016 US election, including using social media to support Donald Trump, who had 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 representations abroad, affirms that Russia conducted this fundraising campaign to “increase its influence over individuals and parties” and then ensure that they “obtain good results in the elections”.
US accusations of interference are often met with jeers from Russian officials, who refer US intelligence to their support for coups in Iran or Chile.