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Man who hosted dissident Republicans in Moscow accused of running Russian agents in US

Republican Sinn Fein attended the conference funded by the Kremlin

Wed 3 Aug 2022 at 11:17

The leader of the Anti-Globalisation Movement of Russia (AGMR) who previously hosted dissident group Republican Sinn Fein at a conference in Moscow has been accused of conspiring to have US citizens act as agents of the Russian government.

Following an investigation by the FBI, it has been claimed that Aleksandr Viktorovich Ionov was working for the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) who funded the 2016 ‘Dialogue of Nations’ conference.

Diarmuid MacDubhghlais, national treasurer of Republican Sinn Féin attended the AGMR meeting in Russia in 2016.

The event was attended by a range of dissident groups from Texas, California, Puerto Rico and Hawaii.

AGMR denied that the Kremlin orchestrated the event to make dissident groups in the US and Europe stronger to undermine the west.

Ionov was indicted by a grand jury and will now face one charge of conspiracy to defraud the United States. If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison.

The indictment in the case against Ionov alleges that over a seven-year period the Moscow resident worked with at least three other Russian officials to influence American citizens to act as ‘agents’ of the Russian Government.

It claims that direction of the FSB, Ionov recruited political groups across Florida, Georgia and California.

It further claims that he provided financial support to the groups and directed them to publish pro-Russian propaganda in a bid to further Russian interests in the United States.

Aleksandr Viktorovich Ionov has denied the allegations, posting to social media: “I have read the entire text of the accusation. I have no words!”

“Employees of the US Department of Justice, together with the FBI, should write fantastic stories. I have never met such nonsense and deception. There are no specific names of officials, there is no evidence of funding and there are no intelligible arguments. I am also credited with using a special technique!”

“I am shocked by this attitude,” he continued. “The Ukrainian crisis has driven American officials crazy!”

“Comrades, now you see what kind of ‘democracy’ exists in the USA! according to the FBI, I was not an ideological person for ten years, I was not a member of various leftist organizations in Russia, but immediately appeared as a project! It’s insulting!”

“I am ready to provide any evidence and show the world that the FBI is just crazy! They are just taking revenge on me for the Russian liberals!”