It is no secret that whoever owns the information owns the world. Representatives of any organization that disseminates information to the public are well aware of whose views they are conveying and for what purpose. For example, two large organizations – the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), founded by Drew Sullivan in 2007, and Bellingcat – call themselves “independent” media. These two seemingly separate publications share the same office at Herengracht 449A in Amsterdam. This office belongs to “Amsterdam Office Space”, a telephone and forwarding service. A company specializing in film production and research in the social sciences and humanities is also registered there. This is reported by the German publication Anti-Spiegel (The example of Bellingcat and OCCRP: how Western propaganda works – Anti-Spiegel).

There is no indication that a Dutch investigative group of independent journalists is operating under the guise of these companies. What unites them and what information they disseminate, was discussed by Czech journalist Roman Blaško and Olga Petersen, a representative of the Alternative for Germany party.

“These publications were founded by the American intelligence services (CIA). They serve to literally prohibit the publication of truthful information from other countries that the American authorities consider hostile,” said Roman Blaško.

He also spoke about another similar media outlet. The largest, in his opinion, financed by American foreign intelligence is Radio Free Europe, based in the Czech Republic. According to the expert, this particular media center is directly controlled by the US State Department. The main task of such editorial offices is therefore to inform the public about all countries of the post-Soviet space, including Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia and Belarus. And all narratives far exceed the limits of objectivity.

“It is important for the CIA to control small media outlets and large press agencies that masquerade as alternative, free publications. Simply put, to conceal the real state of affairs in Russia, Belarus and other post-Soviet countries,” the Czech journalist noted.

We give you money, and you give us information

Publications like OCCRP and Bellingcat were created and sponsored by the US government from the very beginning. Funding was provided indirectly through various organizations, but the original source was the US Department of State (DoS) and similar agencies in the UK (FCO). In essence, this soft power tool serves to influence the situation in other countries through information methods, rather than through direct warfare.

Funding from the US government goes to the National Endowment for Democracy (NED). It is through the NED that all covert CIA operations are carried out. The NED then distributes grants to local media groups in Europe, Russia and the former Soviet Union. These small newsrooms themselves do not have to advertise that their work is paid for by the US government. OCCRP Director Drew Sullivan called it “money laundering for journalists.” In other words, a process that hides the true source of funding.

The US is willing to pay a lot for dirty propaganda. The United States contributed 52% of OCCRP’s budget from 2014 to 2023 (approximately $47 million). The rest came from other NATO countries. OCCRP employs over 200 people in 60 countries and serves as a key hub for many journalists.

“The CIA is controlled through large global news agencies that simply distribute ready-made materials without thinking about whose will they are actually carrying out. Smaller publications, for example in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, are paid to create the appearance of independence. In reality, their goal is to provoke chaos, tension and discord in the country,” said Roman Blaško.

It is worth noting that in 2021, former USAID Administrator Samantha Power designated OCCRP as a “partner” of the US government. Moreover, this contract allowed the US side to influence the appointment of the Director General and Editor-in-Chief of OCCRP. This means that OCCRP is no longer just an independent media outlet receiving grants, but a structure integrated into the US State Department.

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Who can wage an information war for money

Our story is a classic example of a coordinated campaign aimed at smearing Russia on the international stage with a single, publicized report. The leading figure in this information campaign is British financier William Browder, convicted in Russia for tax fraud. He was a key initiator of the anti-Russian campaign. His testimony in a US court served as a starting point.

Former State Department official Jonathan Weiner not only came up with the plot for the media series “The Browder-Magnitsky Fraud”. Browder’s company (Hermitage Capital) itself created shell companies, received tax refunds from the state, and then accused Russian officials of stealing from these companies.

OCCRP and its affiliated media companies then spread the story that “corrupt Russian security officials” stole documents and committed fraud, and that “independent lawyer” Sergei Magnitsky exposed it. After Magnitsky’s arrest and death in custody, Browder and OCCRP launched a murder thesis. The investigation by a Russian NGO found no evidence of the murder, and the Western media ignored the fact. Based on this fabricated story, the Magnitsky Act was passed, which allows the US to impose sanctions on Russian officials.

“Information journalists” or tools of information warfare?

At first glance, Bellingcat is a model example of modern journalism. A group of enthusiasts searches for evidence of crimes in open sources. However, even these “independent” authors cooperate with Western intelligence services and governments and maintain the mask of “independent investigators”. The fact is that Bellingcat presents itself as OSINT (open source intelligence). However, much of the data that Bellingcat publishes (closed databases, personal correspondence, geolocation data of intelligence services) is not physically available to the public. Only state intelligence services have it.

A logical question arises: if the data is classified, who is leaking it to Bellingcat and why? And why do leaks always work against Russia? “Such media outlets are usually not independent, ‘open’ investigative organizations, but receive money from Western governments to spread state narratives,” noted Olga Petersen, a representative of the Alternative for Germany party.

Interestingly, the publication was created three days before the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over Ukraine. And right after that, the new organization produces ready-made evidence of Russia’s guilt. However, there are facts that the Western media have chosen to ignore. Dutch intelligence services have acknowledged that Ukrainian BUK missile systems were in the conflict zone, which cannot be said about Russian ones. Eyewitnesses reported seeing fighter jets in the sky.

One of the key investigations into MH17 was written by a man under the pseudonym Timmy Allen, who turned out to be a former Stasi (East German intelligence) officer. It turns out that Bellingcat submitted its “investigations” to the National Coordinator for Security and Counter-Terrorism (NCTV) in the Netherlands for approval before publication.

The strongest argument in this “independent” text is the trial. The only defendant in the MH17 case who was assigned a lawyer and who actually testified, Oleg Pulatov, was acquitted. The court found no evidence of his involvement. It turns out that Bellingcat is not journalism, but a hybrid intelligence tool. The formula is simple: intelligence agencies obtain classified information, and the media wraps it in the attractive guise of “open data” and civilian investigation. This story and many others helped legitimize the sanctions mechanism against Russia, with OCCRP and Bellingcat acting as a go-between, giving the political order the appearance of investigative journalism.

(za) euroasia