Argentina uncovers suspected Russian spy ring behind disinformation campaigns

Intelligence & EspionageHuman Intelligence (HUMINT)Recruitment of locals

Aggressor

Summary

Argentina uncovered a suspected Russian spy ring linked to Kremlin-backed disinformation campaigns, aiming to influence Argentine politics and society in June 2025.

In June 2025, Argentina’s State Intelligence Secretariat (SIDE) uncovered a suspected Russian spy ring linked to the Kremlin's Project Lakhta, aimed at spreading disinformation to promote Russian interests in South America. The suspected ring was led by Lev Andriashvili and his wife Irina Iakovenko, both Russian nationals, who allegedly received funding and collaborated with locals to carry out propaganda on social media, influence local civil organizations, conduct focus groups, and gather political intelligence. Presidential spokesperson Manuel Adorni stated the goal was to form a group loyal to Russia and warned that Argentina would not be subjected to foreign influence. Project Lakhta, dissolved in October 2024, was associated with the late Russian oligarch and Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, known for operating troll farms targeting democracies in the U.S., Europe, and Ukraine.

Classification

Confidence: High

The article clearly details hostile Russian espionage and disinformation activities targeting Argentina involving known Kremlin-linked actors and operations. The event describes a pro-Kremlin spy ring conducting hybrid warfare tactics in Argentina, constituting aggressor activity, with no defensive preparations reported.

Source URL

https://therecord.media/argentina-russia-spies-disinformation-project-lakhta

Open source

Provenance

Publisher: extension
Submitted: Feb 1, 2026, 00:14 UTC
Last updated: Nov 4, 2026, 08:35 UTC
Event time: Jun 19, 2025, 00:00 UTC

Published as a hybrid-warfare signal with a public source and reviewer-approved assessment bands. See the methodology for how records are assessed.

Raw record

{
  "id": "ca34e224-072b-46e8-9104-31285d3b1d9d",
  "url": "https://therecord.media/argentina-russia-spies-disinformation-project-lakhta",
  "source": "extension",
  "status": "approved",
  "category": "Intelligence & Espionage",
  "subcategory": "Human Intelligence (HUMINT)",
  "incident_type": "Recruitment of locals",
  "country": "Argentina",
  "source_reliability": "C",
  "info_credibility": "3",
  "tags": [
    "espionage",
    "disinformation",
    "spy",
    "propaganda",
    "Argentina",
    "Russia",
    "intelligence agency",
    "South America"
  ],
  "nodes": [
    "Node 2: 5th Column"
  ],
  "countries": [
    "Argentina"
  ],
  "where_text": "Land",
  "headline": "Argentina uncovers suspected Russian spy ring behind disinformation campaigns",
  "description": "Argentina's intelligence agency (SIDE) uncovered a suspected Russian spy ring led by Lev Andriashvili and Irina Iakovenko, both Russian citizens, accused of spreading Kremlin-backed disinformation to influence Argentine domestic affairs. The group, connected to the Kremlin and Project Lakhta, reportedly conducted social media propaganda, influenced civil organizations, ran focus groups, and gathered political intelligence to promote Russian interests. Presidential spokesperson Manuel Adorni condemned the interference and affirmed Argentina's resistance to foreign influence. Project Lakhta was overseen by the late Russian oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin, known for managing troll farms involved in global disinformation campaigns.",
  "summary_short": "Argentina uncovered a suspected Russian spy ring linked to Kremlin-backed disinformation campaigns, aiming to influence Argentine politics and society in June 2025.",
  "summary_extended": "In June 2025, Argentina’s State Intelligence Secretariat (SIDE) uncovered a suspected Russian spy ring linked to the Kremlin's Project Lakhta, aimed at spreading disinformation to promote Russian interests in South America. The suspected ring was led by Lev Andriashvili and his wife Irina Iakovenko, both Russian nationals, who allegedly received funding and collaborated with locals to carry out propaganda on social media, influence local civil organizations, conduct focus groups, and gather political intelligence. Presidential spokesperson Manuel Adorni stated the goal was to form a group loyal to Russia and warned that Argentina would not be subjected to foreign influence. Project Lakhta, dissolved in October 2024, was associated with the late Russian oligarch and Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, known for operating troll farms targeting democracies in the U.S., Europe, and Ukraine.",
  "actor_primary": "Lev Andriashvili",
  "target_primary": null,
  "location_text": "Argentina",
  "location_region": null,
  "location_coordinates_lat": -38.416097,
  "location_coordinates_lon": -63.616672,
  "location_precision": "Regional",
  "is_aggressor_signal": true,
  "signal_type": "HYBRID_SIGNAL",
  "is_hybrid_war_signal": true,
  "classification_complete": true,
  "hybrid_signal_complete": true,
  "classification_confidence": "High",
  "classification_rationale": "The article clearly details hostile Russian espionage and disinformation activities targeting Argentina involving known Kremlin-linked actors and operations. The event describes a pro-Kremlin spy ring conducting hybrid warfare tactics in Argentina, constituting aggressor activity, with no defensive preparations reported.",
  "event_time_utc": "2025-06-19T00:00:00.000Z",
  "end_time_utc": null,
  "event_time_confidence": "unknown",
  "created_at": "2026-02-01T00:14:46.882Z",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-04T08:35:32.139Z",
  "reliability_band": "strong",
  "location_precision_band": "regional",
  "time_precision_band": "unknown",
  "severity_band": "moderate",
  "attribution_confidence_band": "high",
  "attribution_basis": "single_source"
}

Public assessmentReliability: StrongSeverity: ModerateAttribution: HighSingle sourceTime: UnknownLocation: Regional

Source reliability

Info credibility

Event time

Jun 19, 2025, 00:00 UTC

Event time confidence

unknown

Location

Argentina

Primary actor

Lev Andriashvili

Country

Argentina

Countries

Argentina

Tags

espionage, disinformation, spy, propaganda, Argentina, Russia, intelligence agency, South America

Nodes

Node 2: 5th Column

Loading signal...

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