The Argentinian government says it has detected Russian spies in the country

Buenos Aires.- Argentine presidential spokesman Manuel Adorni said this Wednesday that the Government has detected a group of Russian citizens who "would be carrying out suspicious tasks in favor of geopolitical interests of Russia, in close collaboration with Argentine citizens" in the South American country.

The investigation by the State Intelligence Secretariat (SIDE) revealed the existence of an entity related to Vladimir Putin's government called 'La Compañía', Adorni revealed in a press conference. This entity would aim to "form a group of people loyal to the interests of Russia to develop disinformation and influence campaigns against the Argentine State," through the creation and dissemination of content on social media, influence over local NGOs, and obtaining political information, among other tasks.

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The SIDE also detected that this organization would be linked to the 'Lahkta Project', led by the deceased Russian oligarch Yevgeniy Prigozhin, founder of the controversial Wagner Group, a Russian mercenary company. Prigozhin died in 2023 in an air accident two months after staging a mutiny against Russian commanders in Ukraine, after disagreeing on how Putin and his Army were facing that war after the invasion. The leader of 'La Compañía' has been identified as Lev Konstantinovich Andriashvili, a Russian residing in Argentina who is accused of being the one in charge of receiving the financing and promoting links with local collaborators. The identity of his wife, Irina Iakovenko, also residing in Argentina, was also revealed. The spokesman for President Javier Milei emphasized that Argentina "will not be subjected to the influence of any other nation" and assured that "the safety of Argentinians is not a secondary issue."