Javier Milei was firm when commenting, on Friday (3), the revelation of a large disinformation network operated by Russian agents in Argentina. “The espionage that has become public is of an institutional gravity rarely seen in history. And this is just the tip of the iceberg of something much bigger,” said the president.
The episode goes beyond fake news. It reveals a scheme that mixes foreign intelligence, hidden financing, the use of artificial intelligence and ramifications throughout Latin America.
The scandal came to light after the leak of dozens of confidential documents investigated by international journalism consortiums. The files describe in detail a systematic campaign of “hybrid warfare” conducted by the Kremlin against Milei’s government — especially around the economic reforms led by the president.
At the center of the case is an organization called “La Compañía”. According to reports, it acts as a direct continuation of the Wagner Group — the mercenary corporation led by Russian Yevgeny Prigozhin until his death in 2023, two months after a failed rebellion against Putin.
It wasn’t just propaganda. The objective was more ambitious: to influence elections, shape perceptions and even create artificial diplomatic crises.
The documents also reveal an attempt to “discredit the pro-Ukrainian policy of the Argentine leadership.” In other words, a direct retaliation for the fact that Milei broke with the alignment that Kirchnerism maintained with Moscow and positioned Argentina alongside the USA, Israel and Ukraine from the first day of government.
“Ghost journalists”
The operation was relatively simple but effective. The network paid for fabricated articles to be published in Argentine outlets as if they were normal journalistic content. In total, US$283,000 was invested to insert at least 250 texts into more than 20 digital portals.
To give credibility to the content, the scheme also created “ghost journalists”. The most emblematic case is that of “Gabriel Di Taranto”, a specialist in political communication who wrote 20 articles in vehicles such as C5N e Financial Area.
Taranto, however, does not exist. The university where he claimed to have completed his master’s degree denied having issued the degree, and his face was generated by artificial intelligence software.
The Russian Embassy in Buenos Aires called the allegations an “artificially inflated story” and said there were “no facts or evidence” against the Kremlin. The Milei government doubled the bet.
The investigation is under analysis by Argentine intelligence and has been forwarded to the courts. The president’s aides, such as spokesman Manuel Adorni, talk about going “to the last consequences”.
For Milei, the battle is just beginning. In his account on X, he stated: “We are going to identify all the direct and indirect actors who participated in this illegal espionage network. Viva la libertad, carajo!”
Alert for Brazil
The same documents show that “La Compañía” also acted in Bolivia, to strengthen Luis Arce’s government, and in Venezuela, to support Nicolás Maduro’s narrative after the fraudulent 2024 elections.
Furthermore, a report from the international Digital News Association presented on the 31st revealed that Russia trained more than a thousand influencers and journalists to spread disinformation in Latin America.
Brazil does not appear on the list of countries mentioned, but it should not consider itself shielded: in February, the German portal daily news reported that the Brazilian organization Nova Resistência is part of the Russian disinformation network “Storm-1516”, identified by US and French intelligence.
The Argentine case is a warning: the war of narratives spreads quickly — and Brazil already appears on this map.
SEE ALSO:
-
Russia trained more than a thousand communicators to spread disinformation in Latin America
