Uncle Sam puts $10M bounty on Russian troll farm Rybar

October 18, 2024 TH Author

The US has placed a $10 million bounty on Russian media network Rybar and a number of its key staffers following alleged attempts to sway the upcoming US presidential election.

Rybar, according to the US, has consistently tried to stoke division within the country.

Specifically, Rybar manages the social media channels #HOLDTHELINE and #STANDWTHTEXAS, both of which promote pro-Russia political interests. Both taglines have also become synonymous with pro-Republican voting in the US, while the former has even been used in posts by accounts exceeding 1 million followers.

The US contends Rybar was also responsible for the TEXASvsUSA account on X, which has since been suspended for violating the platform’s rules. When it was active, its primary aim had been to promote divisive discussions about undocumented migrants crossing the Texas border.

“Through TEXASvsUSA, Rybar has sought to sow discord, promote social division, stoke partisan and racial discord, and encourage hate and violence in the United States,” said a statement by Rewards for Justice (RFJ), a State Department initiative.

Over on Telegram, one of the few remaining West-accessible social platforms from which Rybar isn’t banned, its feed is filled with news stories that further Russia’s political agenda. From sowing distrust in US defense to framing Donald Trump as a potential leader who is against funding Ukraine’s war efforts, the channel drives a constant anti-West agenda.

It has also been known to publish a series of comics illustrating Russia’s war efforts with more flattering narratives than reality that may be targeting the country’s youth.

Rybar is just one lever Russia pulls in its long-running attempts to influence US elections. A recent report from Microsoft hinted at just how much Putin wants a second Trump stint in the White House, and this was just days after a huge crackdown on election-meddling infrastructure.

The media organization is partly funded by contracts awarded by Rostec, a defense organization in Russia that routinely tries to evade sanctions through various means, according to RFJ.

“Rybar relies on the connections and funding from Rostec to bolster Russia’s military capabilities and advance pro-Russian and anti-Western narratives,” it said.

Rewards of up to $10 million will be handed to anyone with information that can materially further the US efforts to stymie Rybar or nine of its key staffers. The following are of special interest to the US:

Vladimir Sergeyevich Berkutov, who worked on the TEXASvsUSA campaign
Aleksandr Klimovich Kan, the head of Rybar’s video department
Tatyana Petrovna Kosterova, the head of Rybar’s foreign language resources unit
Olga Sergeyevna Kuznetsova, Rybar regional manager
Maksim Vitalyevich Matveyev “Matveev,” designer and lead of content team
Aleksandr Igorevich Minin, chief of content on TEXASvsUSA
Valentina Valeryevna Minina, who worked on TEXASvsUSA
Mikhail Sergeyevich Zvinchuk, director at Rybar
Valeriya Vladimirovna Zvinchuk, creative director at Rybar

RFJ claims that since its inception in 1984, more than $250 million in payments have been made to more than 125 people who helped the US bring people of interest to justice.

Regarding cyberattacks on the US and its critical national infrastructure, there are currently 27 individuals and entities for whom monetary rewards can be provided, should they ever be brought to justice. These include the ALPHV/BlackCat and Conti ransomware groups, plus an assortment of offensive cyber attackers working for or in the interests of Russia, Iran, China, and North Korea.

Rybar and its key staffers join 17 others who earned a spot on the RFJ’s bounty list for election interference, which also includes workers for adversarial states and cybercriminals.

US senator Mark Warner (D-VA) suggested earlier this year that the US is less prepared to combat election interference than it was in 2020. This preceded FBI director Christopher Wray’s comment days later that this year’s election will face more threats from more adversaries equipped with better tech.

A Mandiant report from April warned of interference efforts with both the UK’s general election and the upcoming US presidential vote, urging people to be wary of key tools used to compromise election security. Russia and Iran were the primary aggressors here, unsurprisingly.

It alluded to the four Ds: Data theft and leaks, disinformation, deepfakes, and DDoS attacks, although back in August the FBI and CISA felt compelled to dismiss any concerns that DDoSers could hurt voting systems. ®