Thread by @P_Kallioniemi

In today's #vatnik soup, I'll introduce an oligarch and a propagandist Konstantin Malofeyev (or Malofeev). He's a prominent figure in both organizing and funding illegal paramilitary groups and fringe political groups.

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Malofeyev is best known for his russian TV network, Tsargrad TV. This network started back in 2015 and in the same year Alexander Dugin was named as the channel's chief editor. Konstantin was sitting beside Dugin at Darya Dugina's funeral.

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In 2016 Dugin was replaced at Tsargrad by another propagandist, Elena Sharoykina.

Tsargrad TV was set up with a help from Fox News veteran Jack Hanick. Hanick was launching Fox News already back in 1996, and in 2014 he started helping Malofeyev with Tsargrad.

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Hanick was arrested in London on Feb 3, 2022, for circumventing US sanctions by helping sanctioned Malofeyev. Hanick also lied to the FBI about his trips to Greece and Bulgaria, where he helped to expand Konstantin's TV network.

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Hanick wrote to Malofeyev that expanding the network is an "opportunity to detail Russia’s point of view on Greek TV"

He has launched a think tank organization called Katehon. It's a group offering publishing platform for pro-🇷🇺, Western activists and conspiracy theorists.

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We have a lot of data on Malofeyev and his diabolical plans because of his carelessness - several phone calls between Malofeyev and other actors have been intercepted, and his and his associates e-mails have also been hacked.

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He was closely linked to the events that took place in Donbas in 2014. In May, 2014, SBU intercepted a call between former FSB officer Igor Girkin and Malofeyev where Konstantin was providing military intelligence to Girkin.

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In 2015 Novaya Gazeta published a document okay'd by Maloyfeyev, outlining the strategy for increasing unrest in Crimea and in Eastern Ukraine as a preparation for the upcoming annexation.

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Hacking group Shaltay Boltay published leaked e-mails which revealed that Malofeyev has been funneling money to to radical nationalists and political movements in Europe:
newlinesmag.com/reportage/excl…

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Hacked e-mails have also shown that Konstantin is coordinating his shady businesses with the Kremlin, including an Orthodox priest Bishop Tikhon, who also happens to be a spiritual adviser of one Vladimir Putin.

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He has also closely communicated with Putin's puppet master Vladislav Surkov about the annexations of Eastern Ukraine.

Malofeyev has launched several agencies that are used for pushing Russian propaganda around the world.

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One of these is the International Agency for Sovereign Development (IASD) that focuses on pushing disinformation and propaganda in African countries. Members of IASD have declared that Russia is defending "traditional values" in Africa.

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Malofeyev is also connected to a far-right propagandist and founder of the Kremlin mouthpiece and Russia Insider, Charles Bausman. Leaked e-mails showed that Bausman, who also took part in the Jan 6th, 2021 capitol attack, begged Konstantin for money back in 2015.

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Konstantin has close ties to Russian anti-LGBT activist Alexey Komov and the Russian representative for the "World Congress of Families": splcenter.org/hatewatch/2018…

Komov is a prominent figure and I'll introduce him later on in another #vatnik soup.

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Malofeyev was sanctioned by the US, EU and Canada in 2014. Ukraine has put him on international wanted list for establishing illegal paramilitary groups.

More on Dugin:

https://twitter.com/P_Kallioniemi/status/1597504449249181696

Surkov:

https://twitter.com/P_Kallioniemi/status/1593137159317655553

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