Argentina says it uncovered Russian spy ring suspected of disinformation efforts

Meduza.io

Argentine intelligence has identified five Russian nationals suspected of espionage activities linked to “Russia’s geopolitical interests,” presidential spokesperson Manuel Adorni said.

“The intelligence service identified a group of Russian residents in Argentina who were allegedly engaged in suspicious activity in service of Russia’s geopolitical objectives while maintaining close contact with Argentine citizens,” Adorni told reporters.

According to Adorni, the group’s work included producing and disseminating content on social media, seeking to influence local NGOs, organizing focus groups, and gathering political intelligence “that could be used to serve Russia’s interests.”

Adorni named two individuals: Lev Andriashvili, who he said headed the network and was responsible for “financing and cultivating contacts with local actors,” and his wife, Irina Yakovenko. He alleged that both were part of an entity he referred to as “The Company,” which he said had links to the late Yevgeny Prigozhin’s Project Lakhta.

According to Adorni, the group’s aim was to build a circle of individuals loyal to Russia’s interests who could carry out disinformation campaigns and influence operations against the Argentine state. He did not specify whether the Russians had been detained or whether they remain in Argentina.

In response, the Russian Embassy in Buenos Aires said that neither Andriashvili nor Yakovenko is registered with the consulate and that it had sent a formal note to Argentina’s Foreign Ministry seeking clarification of their legal status. “Unfortunately, this is not the first wave of spy mania fueled by those who seek to drive a wedge into Russian-Argentine relations,” the embassy said.

In August 2024, as part of a major prisoner exchange, Russia repatriated two intelligence agents, Artem Dultsev and Anna Dultseva, who had been using Argentine documents as cover. The couple had been convicted in Slovenia, where they had lived since 2017 under the identities of Argentine citizens. They returned to Russia with their two children, a 9-year-old son and a 12-year-old daughter, neither of whom reportedly spoke Russian.