AUTONOMOUS NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF DIGITAL PROJECTS IN THE FIELD OF PUBLIC RELATIONS AND COMMUNICATIONS DIALOG REGIONS
ANO DIALOG REGIONS
DIALOGUE REGIONS
DIALOG REGIONY
DIALOGUE
AVTONOMNAYA NEKOMMERCHESKAYA ORGANIZATSIYA PO RAZVITIYU TSIFROVYKH PROEKTOV V SFERE OBSHCHESTEVENNYKH SVYAZEI I KOMMUNIKATSII DIALOG REGIONY
Nationality
Russia;
Russia
Address
Ul. Timura Frunze, D. 11, Str. 1, Floor 1, Pomeshch. I, Kom. 2, Moscow, 119021, Russia
Reg. ID
9709063550, Tax ID No.;
1207700248030, Business Registration Number
Official reason
Autonomous Non-Profit Organization (ANO) Dialog (ANO Dialog) is a Russian nonprofit organization founded in 2019 by the Moscow city government that leverages AI technology in online Russian disinformation for use against election campaigns. ANO Dialog Regions (Dialog Regions) is ANO Dialog’s subsidiary organization that is co-located at their Moscow headquarters and also has offices throughout Russia.
Vladimir Grigoryevich Tabak (Tabak) is the Director General of both ANO Dialog and Dialog Regions. He previously held several positions in the Russian Presidential Administration.
ANO Dialog is linked to Doppelgänger—a Russia-linked influence operation network identified in 2022—that used deep fake content to develop Russian disinformation campaigns. In fall 2022, Tabak was expected to attend a meeting with senior Russian government officials. The meeting discussed the presumed success of the Doppelgänger activity and provided feedback and guidance on future projects.
In July 2022, ANO Dialog and Tabak provided services to the Russian government, working on a project for the creation of fake online posts on popular social media accounts, including “Reliable Recent News” (“RRN”) and “War on Fakes”—a Russian disinformation website publicly linked to the Doppelgänger activity—that would be composed of counterfeit documents, among other material, in order to elicit an emotional response from the audiences of these accounts. An ANO Dialog advisor purchased RRN’s new domain, “rrn.world” in order to avoid using the former domain, “rrussianews.com,” which would have maintained a connection to Russia. Tabak also coordinated with ANO Dialog and the Russian government on the payment of services for an RRN-affiliate translator.
In late fall 2023, ANO Dialog personnel identified U.S., UK, and other public figures as potential targets for deepfake projects. Because of this, the EU sanctioned ANO Dialog for its role in the disinformation network and specifically as the owner and operator of the “War on Fakes” website. In May 2024, Tabak and several Dialog Regions officials coordinated with Russian government officials regarding the creation of bot accounts on popular social media messaging platforms for use in a misinformation campaign regarding voting locations in the U.S. 2024 election.
Today, OFAC designated ANO Dialog pursuant to E.O. 14024 for being owned or controlled by, or having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, the Government of the Russian Federation; Dialog Regions pursuant to E.O. 14024 for being owned or controlled by, or having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, ANO Dialog; and Tabak pursuant to E.O. 14024 for being owned or controlled by, or having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, the Government of the Russian Federation and for being a leader, official, senior executive officer, or member of the board of directors of ANO Dialog and Dialog Regions, persons whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to E.O. 14024.
Also today, the Federal Bureau of Investigation announced the seizure of domains associated with RRN/ANO Dialog and Social Design Agency (SDA)—which OFAC had previously designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for its activities on behalf of the Russian government—that have been used in furtherance of the Russian Doppelgänger disinformation efforts targeting the United States and Europe.
Executive Order 14024 of April 15, 2021 Blocking Property With Respect To Specified Harmful Foreign Activities of the Government of the Russian Federation
In response to the Russian Federation’s continued use of its military-industrial base to support its aggression against Ukraine, the President has issued an Executive Order (E.O.) amending E.O. 14024 that provides the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) with new authorities to target foreign financial institutions for engaging in certain transactions. Foreign financial institutions that conduct or facilitate significant transactions or provide any service involving Russia’s military-industrial base run the risk of being sanctioned by OFAC.
The United States and partners have put in place a sanctions and export controls regime that has severely restricted Russia’s ability to import many of the items that directly support its brutal and unjustified war against Ukraine. As a result, Russia is increasingly using third countries to evade sanctions and continue its procurement of certain critical items. The United States and partners have published multiple advisories, including detailed red flags, to warn the private sector about Russian sanctions evasion in support of its war machine and to support compliance efforts. OFAC’s new targeting authorities, which are aimed at foreign financial institutions that provide services to, or engage in significant transactions relating to, Russia’s military-industrial base, come as a natural evolution of OFAC’s work to counter evasion and hold accountable those perpetuating Russia’s war against Ukraine, including financial facilitators.
OFAC is issuing this advisory to provide guidance to foreign financial institutions on the amendments to E.O. 14024, including practical guidance on how to identify sanctions risks and implement corresponding controls. For additional guidance on this E.O., please see FAQs 1146–1157.
