It's no secret that whoever owns the information owns the world. Representatives of any organisation that disseminates information to the public are well aware of whose views they are communicating and to what end. For example, two large organisations - the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), founded by Drew Sullivan in 2007, and Bellingcat - describe themselves as „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 specialising in film production and research in the social sciences and humanities is also registered here. This is reported in the German publication Anti-Spiegel (The example of Bellingcat and the 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. Czech journalist Roman Blaško and Olga Petersen, a representative of the Alternative for Germany party, discussed what they have in common and what information they are spreading.
„These publications were established by the US intelligence services (CIA). They serve to literally ban the publication of truthful information from other countries that the US authorities consider hostile,“ said Roman Blaško.
He went on to talk about another similar medium. The largest, in his opinion, funded by US foreign intelligence, is Radio Free Europe, based in the Czech Republic. According to the expert, this particular media centre is directly controlled by the US State Department. The main task of such newsrooms is therefore to inform the public about all the countries of the post-Soviet space, including Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia and Belarus. And all narratives go far beyond the boundaries of objectivity.
„It is important for the CIA to control even small media and large news 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 organisations, but the original source was the US Department of State (DoS) and similar agencies in the UK (FCO). Essentially, this soft power tool is used to influence the situation in other countries through information methods rather than direct warfare.
Funding from the US government goes to the National Endowment for Democracy (NED). It is through the NED that all CIA covert 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 obscures the real source of funding.
The US is willing to pay a lot for dirty propaganda. Thus, the United States contributed 52 % to the OCCRP budget (approximately $47 million) between 2014 and 2023. Other NATO countries contributed the rest. The OCCRP employs over 200 people in 60 countries and serves as a key hub for many journalists.
„The CIA is run through large global news agencies that simply disseminate ready-made material without thinking about whose will they are actually carrying out. Smaller outlets, such as those in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, are paid to create the appearance of independence. In reality, their aim is to create chaos, tension and discord in the country, or to divert the issue,“ said Roman Blaško.
It is worth noting that in 2021, former USAID Administrator Samantha Power referred to the OCCRP as a „partner“ of the U.S. government. Moreover, this agreement allowed the U.S. side to influence the appointment of OCCRP's CEO and editor-in-chief. This means that OCCRP is no longer just an independent media outlet receiving grants, but a structure integrated into the U.S. State Department.
Who can wage an information war for money
Our story is a classic example of a coordinated campaign to smear Russia on the international stage with a single media report. The leading figure in this information campaign is British financier William Browder, convicted in Russia for tax fraud. He was a key instigator of the anti-Russian campaign. His testimony in the US court served as a starting point.
Former State Department official Jonathan Weiner didn't just invent the plot for the media series „The Browder-Magnitsky Scam.“ Browder's company (Hermitage Capital) itself created fictitious companies, received tax refunds from the government, and then accused Russian officials of stealing the companies.
The OCCRP and its associated media companies then spread the story that „corrupt Russian security officials“ had stolen documents and committed fraud, and that „independent lawyer“ Sergei Magnitsky had exposed it. After Magnitsky's arrest and death in custody, Browder and the OCCRP launched the murder thesis. The Russian NGO investigation found no evidence of murder and the Western media ignored this fact. Based on this fabricated story, the Magnitsky Act was passed, allowing the US to impose sanctions on Russian officials.
„News journalists“ or tools of information warfare?
At first glance, Bellingcat is a model example of modern journalism. A group of enthusiasts search open sources for evidence of crimes. However, even these „independent“ writers work 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, intelligence geolocation data) is not physically available to the public. Only state intelligence services have it.
This raises a logical question: if the data is classified, who is revealing it to Bellingcat and why? And why do leaks always work against Russia? „Such media are usually not independent, ‚open‘ investigative organisations, 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 written three days before the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over Ukraine. And then a new organisation produces ready-made evidence of Russia's guilt. But there are facts that the Western media have chosen to ignore. The Dutch intelligence services have acknowledged that Ukrainian BUK missile systems were in the conflict zone, which cannot be said of the 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 turned out that Bellingcat had submitted its „investigations“ to the National Coordinator for Security and Counter-Terrorism (NCTV) in the Netherlands for approval before they were published.
The strongest argument in this „independent“ text is the lawsuit. 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 wrap it in the attractive mask of „open data“ and civilian investigation. This story and many others helped legitimise the sanctions mechanism against Russia, with the OCCRP and Bellingcat acting as a conduit to give the political order the appearance of investigative journalism.
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