US intelligence has accused Russia of secretly spending at least $300 million to support political parties and candidates in more than 20 countries since 2014, according to a declassified report Tuesday.
A senior US official said that the United States considers the amount mentioned to be only a minimum estimate, and that Russia is likely to secretly transfer undisclosed funds.
The official explained that his country is working hard to address its weaknesses, and encourages other countries to do the same and join them in this important effort, as he put it.
The senior administration official told reporters that Russian President Vladimir Putin was spending huge sums to manipulate democracies from within.
The administration of US President Joe Biden asked the intelligence services for this report after the Russian war on Ukraine since February 24.
In one case, the Russian ambassador to an Asian country - whose name was not mentioned in the report - provided millions of dollars to a presidential candidate.
This report did not analyze Russian interference in US politics, but US intelligence had previously said that Moscow interfered in the 2016 US elections by using social media in support of Donald Trump, who expressed his admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
According to the Associated Press, the Russian activities are detailed in a State Department cable signed by its Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken.