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1/ An apparent Russian espionage scandal is unfolding in the Dominican Republic after the arrest of a 25-year-old man who has been linked to Yevgeny Prigozhin's disinformation network. He has been linked to a recently-exposed Russian network in Argentina. ⬇️
2/ According to the Dominican Republic's Procurator General, law enforcement agents arrested 25-year-old Dmitry Novikov on 19 September "during an operation in a villa in the Palmas del Sol II residential area of Bávaro, La Altagracia, where he lived with his family."
3/ He is said to have run "a cyber influence network ... linked to the project known as "Lakhta" or "The Company," based in Russia and dedicated to the creation and dissemination of digital content focused on political disinformation campaigns and social media manipulation."
4/ "These operations sought to influence public opinion, with direct impacts both in the Dominican Republic and other countries in the region, including Argentina and its current government.
5/ "Novikov operated from the country with the intention of concealing the origin of the promoted content, leveraging local collaborators under the guise of a mixed martial arts athlete and concealing his Russian nationality, while receiving funding and direction from partners…
6/ …in the aforementioned project. Authorities have been able to verify that he managed his financial operations and international transactions through cryptocurrency wallets, using platforms such as Binance and digital assets such as Ethereum and Bitcoin.
7/ "This mechanism was allegedly used to move international funds, concealing the source of the resources and facilitating illicit activities related to money laundering and transnational financing.
8/ "During the operation, evidence was seized implicating the defendant in the sale and distribution of firearms, broadening the scope of the ongoing investigation."
9/ In June 2025, the Argentinian authorities arrested five Russian nationals suspected of "suspicious activity in service of Russia’s geopolitical objectives". Lev Andriashvili was said to head the local network by “financing and cultivating contacts with local actors."
10/ His wife Irina Yakovenko was also arrested, and was said to be involved in distributing materials on social media, creating focus groups, and gathering political information. The Argentinian authorities said that the case involved information classified as a state secret.
11/ The VChK-OGPU Telegram channel reports that according to a source, "it was against this backdrop that Dmitry Novikov was arrested in the Dominican Republic, and Lev Andriashvili testified against him." Novikov is said to be the regional organiser of the Lakhta network.
12/ The network involves companies linked to the late Yevgeny Prigozhin that have carried out worldwide online disinformation and fake news campaigns – collectively dubbed the "troll factory". It was based for a time near the Lakhta Center in St. Petersburg, hence the name.
13/ VChK-OGPU says that behind Novikov, "the figure of his father, Mikhail, a retired military man involved in illegal business dealings with Venezuela, looms large."
14/ The channel describes Mikhail Novikov as "a junior partner of Moscow-area crime boss Sergei Romanov, nicknamed "Count," who is closely connected to Russian intelligence agencies."
15/ According to VChK-OGPU, Mikhail Novikov previously served in the Russian Pacific Fleet in Kamchatka and now works in tourism in the Dominican Republic. The DR is an extremely popular tourist destination for Russians; prior to 2022, 1 in 4 tourists there was from Russia.
16/ "Leaked documents contain evidence of the connection between Novikov and Romanov: in his driver's license applications, Mikhail listed "Count's" phone number and the address of his estate in the village of Luzhki.
17/ "The picture is completed by photographs of Mikhail from the same area, where he poses against the backdrop of a hand-carved statue of Odin, commissioned for Romanov’s restaurant “Valhalla”...
18/ "Mikhail was previously involved in cashing and laundering money, and after leaving Russia (most likely forced), he also participated in arms and drug trafficking schemes linked to Venezuela. "Count" frequently visits the Novikovs in the Dominican Republic.
19/ "Open sources and Mikhail's social media accounts contain numerous photographs with various "famous" guests from St. Petersburg—the city where the "troll factory" headquarters were located. Among his acquaintances are many people connected to military operations."
20/ Dmitry Novikov is said to be a Brazilian ju-jitsu fighter who has competed in mixed martial arts. He lives with his father in Bávaro in the eastern DR, ostensibly working in tourism to arrange yachting, deep-sea fishing, hunting, and diving for visitors.