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In the heart of Mexico City, just a short walk from the historic Zócalo, stands a three-story neoclassical building that houses the Club de Periodistas. While claiming to have “promoted journalistic excellence since 1952,” a recent investigation reveals the organization now serves a more controversial purpose.
According to a detailed report by Factchequeado, conducted with support from the International Center for Journalists and published with Animal Político, the Club currently functions as a front for Russian disinformation campaigns and Kremlin-aligned narratives in Mexico.
The investigation found that the Club, led by Celeste Sáenz de Miera and her husband Mouris Salloum George, operates a website called Voces del Periodista that purportedly champions “freedom of expression and journalistic rigor.” However, content analysis reveals it primarily serves as “a conduit for pro-Kremlin and anti-Western propaganda,” according to the Alliance for Securing Democracy at the German Marshall Fund.
Since April 2025, nearly three-quarters (72%) of the site’s content consists of republished material from state-run outlets—predominantly Russia’s RT and Sputnik (53%), followed by the Cuban state agency Prensa Latina (18.6%). The publication’s impressive volume—averaging 136.9 articles weekly—suggests an automated system specifically designed to amplify Russian messaging while maintaining the façade of an independent Mexican journalistic initiative.
When contacted, Sáenz de Miera and Salloum George claimed Voces del Periodista “operates as a communication system” that is “autonomous from the Club,” without explaining the overwhelming presence of Russian and Cuban state media content.
The Club’s biweekly print magazine, also titled Voces del Periodista, further promotes Kremlin narratives. It consistently avoids referring to Russia’s actions in Ukraine as an “invasion,” instead using Putin’s preferred terminology of “special military operation.” The publication also endorses the Russian position that “NATO expansion” caused the conflict.
Perhaps more troublingly, the magazine has featured pieces by Russia’s ambassador to Mexico, Nikolay Sofinskiy, and Dmitry Medvedev, vice chair of Russia’s Security Council—often without proper disclosure of their roles in the Russian government.
Financial records obtained through Mexico’s National Transparency Platform reveal that the Mexican Senate—controlled by President Claudia Sheinbaum’s Morena party since 2018—spent approximately 951,000 pesos (about $51,000) on advertising in the magazine between 2020 and 2023. This raises questions about public funding flowing to a publication actively promoting foreign propaganda.
The Club’s building itself has become a physical hub for Russian media activities. In January 2024, senior executives from Russia Today (RT) conducted a five-day “content creation” course in the Club’s Neoclassical Patio. Participants included Victoria Vorontsova, director of RT en Español, and other high-ranking RT officials.
While the workshop was free for participants, the venue—which typically costs around 431,000 pesos ($23,300) for similar events—was provided to RT at no charge. The Club’s directors described this as Russian journalists “generously offering a course on technological and journalistic updates with academic validity.”
The investigation also uncovered how the Club’s annual “National and International Journalism Contest” has evolved into a platform for legitimizing Kremlin propagandists. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, nearly all the Club’s international prizes have gone to Russian state media outlets or individuals known for spreading disinformation.
Notable recipients include Jackson Hinkle, who promotes Russian disinformation and maintains ties with Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, and previously Alex Jones of InfoWars, who was ordered to pay nearly $1 billion for defamation related to Sandy Hook conspiracy theories.
The judging panel itself has included figures like Spanish writer Guillermo Rocafort, convicted in Madrid for spreading false statements about a journalist and known for promoting Kremlin narratives and conspiracy theories online.
Sáenz de Miera has publicly embraced this relationship, calling the Club de Periodistas “the Mexican home” of Russian diplomats during a 2023 award ceremony for the Russian propaganda outlet Tsargrad. Russia’s ambassador Viktor Koronelli accepted the award, predicting: “We have other media in Russia, and I think that in the coming years all of them will receive these types of awards.”
The investigation highlights a concerning example of how foreign influence operations can establish footholds within existing media institutions, particularly in countries with strategic importance to Russia like Mexico. By appropriating the credibility of a long-standing journalistic organization, these efforts gain a veneer of legitimacy that makes their propaganda more effective and harder to identify.
Despite numerous attempts for comment, representatives from Russia’s embassy in Mexico and the Mexican Senate did not respond before publication.
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12 Comments
This is a concerning development, but it’s encouraging to see Mexico taking proactive steps to uncover and counter this Russian disinformation network. Raising public awareness of these tactics will be key to building resilience.
You make a good point. Empowering citizens to critically evaluate online content and identify foreign propaganda is an important part of the solution.
While I’m not surprised to see Russia trying to sow discord in Mexico, the scale of this alleged disinformation network is quite alarming. It underscores the need for greater transparency and media literacy efforts.
Absolutely. Strengthening the resilience of Mexico’s civil society and democratic institutions against foreign manipulation should be a top priority moving forward.
This investigation provides a valuable window into the Kremlin’s global influence operations. Combating foreign disinformation is a complex challenge, but shining a light on these networks is an important first step.
You’re right, exposing the tactics and funding sources behind these propaganda efforts is key. I’m curious to see what other measures Mexico and its allies take to address this problem.
The revelations about the Club de Periodistas highlight how authoritarian regimes are exploiting local organizations to amplify their narratives globally. Diligent investigative reporting is crucial to unmasking these covert influence operations.
Agreed. Fact-based journalism and independent monitoring of information flows are essential safeguards against the spread of state-sponsored disinformation.
Interesting to see the Kremlin’s disinformation networks spreading their reach even as far as Mexico. I wonder what narratives they’re trying to push and how effective these efforts have been so far.
Agreed, it’s concerning to see Russia leveraging local groups to amplify their propaganda. Maintaining a free and independent press is crucial to countering such foreign interference.
The details provided in this report underscore the sophisticated and multi-faceted nature of Russia’s global disinformation efforts. Mexico’s experience highlights the importance of international cooperation in combating this challenge.
Absolutely. Sharing best practices and coordinating responses across borders will be crucial to effectively disrupt these transnational influence operations.