| Kompromat | |
| Russian | компромат |
|---|---|
| Romanization | kompromat |
| IPA | [kəmprɐˈmat] |
| Literal meaning | compromising material |
Kompromat (Russian:компромат,IPA:[kəmprɐˈmat]ⓘ, short forкомпрометирующий материал, variously translated as "compromising material", "discrediting material", or "incriminating material"), is damaging information about a person or a group, commonly a politician, businessperson, or other public figure, which may be used tocreate negative publicity, as well as forblackmail purposes, often to exert influence rather than monetary gain, andextortion. Kompromat may be acquired from varioussecurity services, or outright forged, and then publicized, e.g., via apublic relations official.[1][2]
The termkompromat is a borrowing of the RussianNKVD slang termкомпромат from theStalin era, which is short for "compromising material" (komprometiruyushchy material). It refers to disparaging information that can be collected, stored, traded, or used strategically across all domains: political, electoral, legal, professional, judicial, media, and business. The origins of the term in Russian trace back to 1930s secret police jargon.[3]Merriam-Webster says that the first known use in English is from 1990.[4]
Widespread use ofkompromat has been common in thepolitics of Russia,[5] as well as of otherpost-Soviet states.[6][7][8][9]
In the early days,kompromat featured doctored photographs, planted drugs, grainy videos of liaisons with prostitutes hired by theKGB, and a wide range of other primitive entrapment techniques. More contemporary forms ofkompromat appear as a form ofcybercrime.[10] One aspect ofkompromat that stands the test of time is that the compromising information is often sexual in nature.[11]
The use ofkompromat is part of the political culture in Russia, with many members of the business and political elite having collected and stored potentially compromising material on their political opponents.[12]Kompromat does not necessarily target individuals or groups, but rather collects information that could be useful at a later time.[13] Compromising videos are often produced long in advance of when leverage over people is needed.[14]
Opposition research is conducted in the U.S. to find compromising material on political opponents so that such material may be released to weaken those opponents. Some contend thatKompromat differs from opposition research, in that such information is used to exert influence over people rather than to simply win elections.[15] Nevertheless, compromising material uncovered by opposition research need not be used in only legal or ethical ways. It can be used to exert influence over Western leaders just as surely as it can be used to exert influence over Russian leaders.[16][17]
In the 1950s,British civil servantJohn Vassall was a victim of a gayhoney trap operation, producingkompromat which could be used against him sincehomosexuality was illegal in Britain at the time.[18] During a 1957 visit to Moscow, American journalistJoseph Alsop also fell victim to a gay honey trap operation conducted by theKGB.[19]
In 1997,Valentin Kovalyov was removed as theRussian Minister of Justice after photographs of him with prostitutes in a sauna controlled by theSolntsevskaya Bratvacrime organization were published in a newspaper.[3] In 1999, a video aired with a man resemblingYury Skuratov in bed with two women that later would lead to his dismissal asProsecutor General of Russia. It was released after he began looking into charges of corruption by PresidentBoris Yeltsin and his associates.[20]
In April 2010, politicianIlya Yashin and comedianVictor Shenderovich were involved in a sex scandal with a woman claimed to have acted as a Kremlin honey trap to discredit opposition figures.[21] The video was released only two days before the wedding of Shenderovich's daughter.[14]
In cases ofkompromat during the early 21st century, Russian operatives have been suspected or accused of placingchild pornography on the personal computers of individuals they were attempting to discredit.[22][23] In 2015, the UK'sCrown Prosecution Service announced that it would prosecuteVladimir Bukovsky for "prohibited images" found on his computer;[24] however, the case against Bukovsky was put on hold as investigators tried to determine whether the pornographic images were planted.[10] Bukovsky died in October 2019.[25]
Ahead of the2016 Russian legislative election, asex tape ofMikhail Kasyanov emerged onNTV.[20][23]
During the2016 U.S. presidential election, U.S. intelligence agencies were investigating possiblycompromising personal and financial information on President-electDonald Trump, leading to allegations that he and members of his administration might be vulnerable to manipulation by the Russian government.[26][27]
BritishLabour Party MPChris Bryant, an ex-chair of the all-party parliamentary group for Russia, who claims that the Russian government orchestrated ahomophobic campaign to remove him from this position, has claimed that the Russian government has acquiredkompromat on high-profileConservative Party MPs. This includesBoris Johnson,Liam Fox,Alan Duncan, andDavid Davis.[28]
Following a 2016 phone call between incoming-U.S. National Security AdviserMichael Flynn and Russian ambassadorSergey Kislyak, Flynn allegedly lied to theWhite House on the extent of those contacts placing him in a position vulnerable to blackmail. According to congressional testimony delivered by former ActingU.S. Attorney GeneralSally Yates, theDepartment of Justice believed that "General Flynn was compromised," and placed Flynn in "a situation where the national-security adviser essentially could be blackmailed by the Russians".[29][30]
Kompromat has become a part of the political culture in Russia. Nearly everyone within Russia's business and political elite has at one time or another collected and stored potentially compromising material on their political opponents for future use. Kompromat can be real or fabricated, and generally involves drugs, prostitutes, sexual escapades, sleazy business deals, illicit financial schemes, or embezzlement.
'Kompromat,' says David Filipov, 'means "compromising material" that can be used down the road as leverage over somebody. [...] 'This was something former KGB officers were telling us here,' adds Filipov, 'they're not necessarily targeting you. You show up and they say, let's just see what this guy does. So they'll record you, they'll do surveillance, see what you're up to. Some stuff gets in a file and maybe they can use it, maybe they can't use it.
In other recent cases, Russian operatives have been suspected or accused of placing child pornography on the personal computers of individuals they were attempting to discredit. Russian Vladimir Bukovsky, 73, a longtime critic of Soviet and Russian leaders, now lives in Britain, where he faces charges related to child pornography. But the case was delayed while investigators checked to see whether the images on Bukovsky's computer were placed there by an outside party,The New York Times reported last month, citing other similar cases.