Russia Paid $10M to Influencers: The Tenet Connection

Russia Paid $10M to Influencers: The Tenet Connection

The Russian influence machine does not improvise: it pays. A widely circulated investigation in the United States places content creator Lauren Chen at the center of the story. Her channel was removed after it emerged she received funding through the company Tenet, according to a participant in the debate. The operation allegedly moved $10 million, a figure that dismantles the theory of the spontaneous enthusiast. They certainly did not get paid in rubles.

The case implicates heavyweight names. Among YouTubers linked to this structure is Tim Pool, who, alongside Joe Rogan, managed to corner Twitter’s management five years ago in an episode that garnered ten million views, according to the same user. The chilling detail for any creator: $100,000 per weekly episode. With that kind of money, anyone can afford to keep their Stan hat at home.

The Spanish-speaking Ecosystem and the Suspicion of Under-the-Table Payments

The phenomenon is not confined to the Anglo-Saxon market. In a short span of time, channels and commentators in Spanish have proliferated whose strong suit is the staunch defense of Vladimir Pilingui and his actions, despite having minority support among the national public. The hovering question is uncomfortable: how do they survive? Monetizing a minority opinion has a low ceiling.

The thesis held by the user who started the thread is that these projects are not funded solely by views. Sapiensia Militar and its counterparts are merely the visible tip of a structure that pays off the books. There is no direct proof in the open, but the pattern repeats: channels that appear out of nowhere, with polished production and discourse aligned with the Kremlin.

The Coincidence No One Wants to Look At

There is a recurring data point in the analyses that is hard to ignore: the profiles that defended antivaccine theories during the pandemic are exactly the same ones now justifying the aggression against Ukraine. Some voices argue this coincidence is no accident. It is an ecosystem that activates according to the current topic, with the same cast.

The most cited case involves a Spanish journalist who had been defending similar positions and was caught getting off the plane in Moscow and greeting Pilingui. The sequence is revealing: the night before, he was still being defended by his circle. The episode served to close a debate that had been open for months.

The Counterattack: NATO Also Pays

The response was not long in coming. If Russia buys opinion leaders, NATO and its allies do not lag behind. The argument is simple: all those not bought by Russia are bought by allied countries, and there are many more. Media outlets that feed on public budgets are unlikely to steer away from the governments they rely on.

The figure thrown onto the table is striking: if Russia buys 2,000 propagandists, the United States, with its GDP, buys 20,000. Let’s not be naive, the argument goes. The difference is that Western propaganda resonates because, according to this reading, it is fair. The ideological nuance does not avoid the fact: buying loyalties is standard practice for all major powers.

The Problem Is Not Freedom of Expression

When the funding of these channels is pointed out, the automatic response is to invoke freedom of expression. The trick is old: it defends a right no one has attacked. The issue is not whether one can have an opinion, but what one lives off while holding it. The niche of Pilingui is minority and, therefore, unprofitable via conventional advertising.

Freedom of expression is sacred, but for insults, aggressions, and false information, there are already incivil offenses such as slander, defamation, or threats. Eliminating it to prevent abuse would be like fruta everyone’s arms to prevent punches. If someone defames, you sue. If someone thinks differently, you debate. The rest is evading the issue.

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The suspicion of Russian funding will not be resolved with a headline. The channels will keep broadcasting, the commentators will keep getting paid, and investigations will proceed at their own pace. The only clear fact is that the disinformation ecosystem has a business model, and someone pays for it. Anyone who believes they do it for the love of art should check their bank account.