By Alice Lee and Madeline Roache
Kremlin propagandist John Mark Dougan, a former Florida deputy sheriff who fled to Moscow in 2016, appeared disillusioned with his position within the Russian influence operation machine and frustrated with the internet limitations posed by the government, according to leaked documents reported by Latvia-based news site The Insider.
“My work schedule is unbearable. I’m doing the work of an entire technical team, but I’m earning less than a [Russian delivery app] Yandex courier. I’m tired. I’m burned out. I don’t think I can keep this up much longer,” he appears to have told his friend Yuri Khoroshenkiy, a Russian intelligence officer, the leaked documents show.
On Nov. 10, 2026, The Insider, which describes itself as an investigative outlet and was founded in Russia in 2016 and staffed largely by exiles, published a report with its analysis of a data leak of what it described as all of Dougan’s personal files, messages, and chatbot prompts. The leaked documents show conversations with various figures from Russian intelligence planning about how to plant false claims against Ukrainian and Western leaders to maximize their online spread. They also show his dealings with Western media, including NewsGuard.
Much of the leaked documents confirm what NewsGuard, among other news outlets, has reported about Dougan since 2023:
That Dougan was behind a false claim that then-vice presidential candidate Tim Walz groomed and sexually abused one of his...
By Alice Lee and Madeline Roache Kremlin propagandist John Mark Dougan, a former Florida deputy sheriff who fled to Moscow in 2016, appeared disillusioned with his position within the Russian influ...