Executive Summary
US Citizen John Dougan works for Russia to promote Moscow’s narratives abroad. He previously served in the U.S. military and was employed in the US law enforcement sector. However, after leaking information of various public officials, he fled to Russia. Like with other American dissidents, Moscow granted him asylum. He then began working as a journalist in Russia. Today, with the assistance of Russian military intelligence (GRU) resources, Dougan manages various websites, which resemble American newspapers, and Youtube channels. The websites’ content consist of Russian propaganda meant to spread Russian influence and destabilize enemy targets, including Dougan’s home country, the US.
Images Sourced From: OlgaLeonova,
Historical Profile
John Dougan served as a U.S. Marine from 1996 to 1998 and reached the rank of lance corporal. Given that Marines normally serve four-year terms, John Dougan was likely discharged early. Yvonne Carlock, a Marine spokesperson, explained that the discharge was because Dougan’s service was inconsistent with the expectations and standards of the Marine Corp. He then worked as a sheriff for Palm Beach County, Florida for three years between 2005 and 2009. During his time as a sheriff, he was the subject of eleven internal affairs investigations. He was eventually fired for the sexual harassment of female coworkers. After being let go, he began a website that spread rumors about his former workplace. He then worked in the Maine police department and was promptly dismissed due to sexual harassment complaints.
Dougan sought asylum in Russia in 2016 after he was charged with perpetrating a doxxing campaign against multiple public officials. He posted the confidential data of law enforcement personnel and judges on PSBOTalk. This incident led to an FBI investigation into Dougan. He was indicted on charges of extortion and wiretapping. It was at this point that he moved to Russia, a country he had visited several times. He is now a Russian citizen.
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Belief and Job Profile
Dougan believes that the United States is spreading disinformation and that his articles are a way to shed light on the truth. He also believes that the United States is using social media platforms to censor information. Dougan has attempted to position himself as a patriotic man working to dismantle corrupt state structures. John Dougan seems to be an extreme right leaning conspiracy theorist. He is also willing to commit crimes and make threats to reach his goals.
In Russia, Dougan works as a journalist. He has covered the war in Ukraine as well as other topics of interest for the Russian government. Furthermore, he was commissioned to create propagandistic websites that advance Moscow’s agenda against a range of targets. Although he denies this, he is connected to over one hundred and fifty websites that push Russian propaganda all over the world. These websites include “DC Weekly,” “New York News Daily,” “Boston Times,” “Chicago Chronicle,” and more. Dougan has leveraged Youtube and other social media platforms to share his work. He also appears on a variety of Russian broadcasts as an expert journalist.
Moscow is known to recruit Western expats to create English language propaganda; Dougan is one of these individuals. His liaison contact at Russia’s military intelligence service, the GRU, is Yury Khoroshevsky. Yury is part of Unit 29155, which specializes in sabotage and international interference operations. Dougan also receives funding from the Moscow Institute, which is another organisation that promotes Putin’s narratives.
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