Behind this huge Russian propaganda channel is a former US Navy employee

“Donbass Devushka” is one of the largest pro-Kremlin blogs available in English. On Twitter and Telegram, users can be inundated with Russian-propagated “news” about the conflict in Ukraine. Both channels each have around 70,000 followers. “Donbass Devushka” is Russian and means “Donbass girl”.

The person pulling the strings behind “Donbass Devushka” has repeatedly stated in the past that he was born and raised in Donbass – more precisely in the city of Luhansk, which has been de facto controlled by Russia since 2014. But research by the internet movement “NAFO” has shownthat these claims are not true.

Behind the pseudonym is not a “Donbass girl”, but an American from the beautiful state of Washington, in the northwest of the US. Her name: Sarah BB is 37 years old and was born in New Jersey, far from Russia, Ukraine or the post-Soviet unrest in Eastern Europe. A marriage certificate confirms this.

In addition to the “Donbass Devushka” channels on Twitter and Telegram, B. manages several smaller channels on Twitter (all of which have now been blocked) and a podcast on YouTube and Spotify. In it she speaks to various ‘experts’, including a reporter from the Russian state medium ‘Russia Today’. What is striking: B. speaks with a clichéd Eastern European accent, in which she occasionally falls out of her role.

In older videos where she talks about her former business – a tropical fish pet store – she has no accent. She speaks the best “American English”.

Incidentally, Sarah B. officially had her name changed at the end of March, according to publicly available court documents: Her name is no longer Sarah Marie B., but Lyudmila Michalowa K. The reason for the name change is unknown. According to his own statement, B. has “certain” Russian roots, but specific details are not known.

The pro-Ukrainian media portal “malcontentment” claims to have spoken with B’s mother. She denied any Russian ancestry and knew nothing about her daughter’s online activities.

A former US corporal

The fact that an American woman is posing as a Ukrainian and spreading pro-Russian propaganda is not unusual in itself – after all, anonymity is widespread on the Internet. However, it is interesting that Sarah served as a senior corporal in the US Navy until the end of 2022.

Specifically, B. had the rank of “Chief Petty Officer”, which roughly corresponds to a sergeant major in Switzerland. Your exact job description was that of a “chief avionics technician”.

However, following her honorable discharge from service in 2022, Sarah held only the rank of petty officer first class, two ranks below. The reason for their decline in ranks is unknown, writes the Wall Street Journal. In an interview with the latter, B. says she left the navy because she suffered from a post-traumatic stress disorder.

Role in the Pentagon Leaks?

Telegram channel «Donbass Devushka» was one of the first to share the leaked Pentagon documents with the masses. On April 5, four of the documents appeared on the channel. These were then picked up by the Russian media, which in turn prompted an investigation by the Pentagon.

Sarah B. had security clearance, as did suspected leaker Jack T. This was told by a former comrade who served at the same airport, The Wall Street Journal. An accident? Possible. The “Wall Street Journal” writes that there is no evidence that B. stole documents using their release. She herself says in an interview:

Another site administrator uploaded the images of the documents. However, as soon as she noticed that, she would have removed the photos – especially since the distribution could have legal consequences.

Shady online store

Until now, anyone who wanted to support the 37-year-old “Ukrainian” could do so through her webshop, which is no longer accessible. T-shirts and other merchandise emblazoned with Z symbols or images of Vladimir Putin or Chechen boss Ramzan Kadyrov could be purchased.

Proceeds from the sale are to benefit the “Effort, our boys at the front”.

But donations to the Russian military are sanctioned in the US and therefore punishable by law. What did Sarah B. actually do with the money?

She told the Wall Street Journal that she used the money to run the Donbass Devushka channels. She also used it to buy podcast equipment for herself and other channel operators and donated money to charities in Serbia, Pakistan, Somalia, Syria and Palestine. But “just a little” came together.

(cpf)