Russia’s Plan: Turn American Anger Into Opposition to Ukraine Aid

The strategy was simple: focus Americans on their financial struggles, then push them toward policies that served Russia’s goals in Ukraine.

That approach appeared in “Good Old USA,” a Russian influence plan released by U.S. authorities on September 4, 2024. Its authors wanted to strengthen the opposition party’s presidential candidate. The names were redacted, but the description pointed toward Donald Trump and the Republican Party.

The plan promoted Ukrainian territorial concessions and bringing American troops home. Concern about the American economy would help sell those positions to voters.

The intended result was to make policies benefiting Moscow sound like common sense for Americans. A voter could support those policies out of sincere patriotism while helping Russia achieve its aims. The documents establish the strategy; its effect on voters remains a separate question.

Paying American Voices to Reach American Audiences

A separate case revealed a more direct method: secretly pay for American media content.

In September 2024, federal prosecutors charged employees of Russia’s state broadcaster RT with financing and directing an American media company identified as Tenet Media.

According to the indictment, approximately $9.7 million reached the company through foreign businesses. The transfers accounted for nearly 90 percent of its bank deposits during the period. Some payments were disguised as purchases of electronics.

One commentator’s contract offered $400,000 a month for four weekly videos. The audience would hear an American voice, while the financing came from Russia, according to prosecutors.

The alleged involvement went beyond paying the bills. The indictment describes an instruction to blame Ukraine and the United States for the March 2024 terrorist attack in Moscow. It also says two commentators were misled about where the money came from. The charges were brought against RT employees.

The Government Shut Down Specialized Teams

On February 5, 2025, Attorney General Pam Bondi ordered the closure of the Foreign Influence Task Force, the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s team addressing foreign influence.

She also narrowed criminal enforcement of the Foreign Agents Registration Act, the law governing disclosure of certain work for foreign interests. Prosecutors were told to focus on conduct resembling traditional espionage. Other work would move toward civil enforcement and guidance.

That same day, Bondi disbanded KleptoCapture, which coordinated investigations into Russian oligarchs’ efforts to get around sanctions. Its resources would shift toward drug cartels and other organized crime.

The administration said it was changing priorities and protecting against political abuse of prosecutions. The orders closed two specialized teams whose work covered foreign influence and Russian money.

Later that year, Lauren Chen, a Tenet co-founder, publicly thanked the administration and State Department adviser Joe Rittenhouse for helping her return to the United States. Rittenhouse confirmed his involvement. Chen disputes allegations that Russia controlled the company’s editorial decisions.

A Trump Donor Needs Approval to Buy Russian Assets

The fight over Lukoil’s overseas assets brings another financial interest into view: an American investor seeking a deal that Trump’s administration must approve.

Todd Boehly, who leads one of the bidding groups, gave $2 million to the Trump-supporting organization MAGA Inc.Federal Election Commission filings record $1 million on December 18, 2024, and another $1 million on December 31, 2025.

On October 9, 2026, Reuters reported that rival bidder Carlyle had withdrawn.

The donations establish Boehly’s financial support for Trump’s political operation. His role in the bid establishes his business interest in Russian oil assets. Whether the donations influence the government’s handling of the deal remains an open question.

Boehly’s group needs U.S. approval to complete the purchase. That leaves Trump’s administration deciding whether a major political donor can proceed with the deal—and what conditions he must accept.