A Top Russian Spy Has Been Detained In Argentina
- 7.05.2026, 8:15
He ran the SVR's disinformation network in Latin America.
A 26-year-old Russian man, Dmitri Novikov, has been detained in Argentina. Authorities believe he is in charge of a Russian disinformation network in the region. Earlier, investigative journalists wrote that the network is linked to the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service.
Novikov's detention was reported by the Argentine State Intelligence Secretariat. The reason for this was the provision of false data by the Russian when entering the country. Novikov was detained in a suburb of Buenos Aires, says "Agency".
Argentine National Security Minister Alexandra Montealiva specified that the detainee - "the leader of a Russian disinformation network" - entered the country disguised as a tourist, but came to "engage in destabilization and attack our institutions."
In September, Novikov had already been detained for a similar reason in the Dominican Republic, where he had likely lived for the past few years. Argentine intelligence said Novikov was deported from the Dominican Republic because of his involvement in disinformation activities involving interference in the affairs of several countries.
Argentine intelligence revealed Novikov's links to entities that may have engaged in disinformation activities in Argentina, leading to preventive intervention by local security authorities.
According to El Periodico, Novikov may be sent to Russia after an appeal is heard.
26-year-old Dmitry Novikov was born in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. But he obtained both of his passports in the Moscow region (in 2019 in Moscow, in 2022 in the Moscow region).
Personal photo facial search services found images of Novikov on a travel agency's website from the Dominican Republic. Novikov flew to that country at least in 2019, according to the leaks.
According to El Periodico, Novikov has visited various Latin American countries, including Chile, Dominican Republic, Colombia, Panama and Brazil, multiple times in the past two years. Novikov last entered Argentina on April 12, flying in from Istanbul.
Novikov headed the Russian security services-controlled structure "Company" (La Compañía), which for years spread disinformation in Latin America, including about the current Argentine president Javier Milieu, El Periodico writes.
"The Company" is a propaganda network originally created by Evgeny Prigozhin and later came under the direct control of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service, wrote the investigative project Forbidden Stories.
The network was previously active in Africa, but in 2024 it expanded its operations to Latin America, particularly Argentina.
This is not the first time in the past year that Argentine authorities have stopped Russia's covert disinformation operations in Latin America. Last summer, they reported that they had uncovered a Russian spy network aimed at "forming a group of individuals to carry out disinformation campaigns and operations against the Argentine state."
The statement noted that an organization called Kompania, allegedly funded by the Kremlin, was linked to Project Lakhta. Project Lakhta was described as an umbrella organization created by Yevgeny Prigozhin to spread Russian influence abroad through social media manipulation. The project was accused of interfering in election campaigns abroad.