In September 2024, the US Department of Justice charged two RT employees, Kostiantyn Kalashnikov and Elena Afanasyeva, in a scheme that illegally funneled $10 million to a Tennessee-based online content creation company to create and spread pro-Russia propaganda and disinformation to US audiences. The company allegedly posted thousands of English-language videos to multiple social media sites, which garnered over 16 million views on YouTube alone. The videos contained commentary on US issues like immigration, inflation, and domestic and foreign policy, seeking to amplify divisions in the US and weaken international support for Ukraine. Kalashnikov and Afanasyeva used shell companies and fake identities, posing as outside editors, to conceal RT’s involvement. They were charged with conspiracy to violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act and conspiracy to commit money laundering.