Kash Patel's $25K Payment Allegedly Came From Filmmaker Linked To Putin-Funded Russian Propaganda Project

A $25,000 (£18,679) payment received by FBI Director Kash Patel for appearing in a documentary has drawn renewed attention after records connected the filmmaker behind the project to a Russian influence campaign that received funding from a foundation created by Vladimir Putin.

Patel disclosed the payment from Los Angeles-based Global Tree Pictures during his nomination process, identifying it as income for a film interview.

The company was run by Igor Lopatonok, a Ukrainian-born filmmaker with US citizenship whose previous work has promoted pro-Russian narratives.

Patel Disclosed the $25,000 Film Payment

The payment appeared in Patel's financial disclosure as $25,000 from Global Tree Pictures, with the income listed as an honorarium. The disclosure records the payment as connected to a film interview, while reporting by The Washington Post identified Global Tree Pictures as a company run by Lopatonok.

Patel received the money in 2024, before he became FBI director, for his participation in the six-part documentary series All the President's Men: The Conspiracy Against Trump. The series presented Patel and other former Trump administration figures as victims of an alleged 'deep state' conspiracy against the president.

The programme aired through Tucker Carlson's online network and included an episode focused on Patel. Reporting also said Patel served as an executive producer on the project.

The payment was not hidden from federal disclosure requirements. It was included in the financial paperwork Patel submitted during the process surrounding his nomination.

The Film Came From Igor Lopatonok

The person behind the company, Lopatonok, has a history of producing films and projects that have been described by journalists as promoting pro-Kremlin narratives.

The Washington Post reported that Lopatonok had previously worked on projects involving controversial Russian and Ukrainian political figures, including films that echoed Kremlin positions on Ukraine.

He also appeared publicly alongside Viktor Medvedchuk, a Ukrainian politician and close ally of Putin, during the promotion of one of his films.

Lopatonok has pushed back against the criticism of his work. In a podcast interview cited by The Washington Post, he acknowledged that people had accused him of being 'a Russian asset' and said he believed audiences needed an alternative to mainstream media narratives.

A social media post circulating about the payment similarly described Patel as receiving $25,000 from Lopatonok in connection with the documentary, although the financial disclosure itself identifies Global Tree Pictures as the paying organisation.

His Russian Influence Project Received Putin-Linked Funding

The connection drawing the most attention involves a separate project Lopatonok worked on in Russia.

In 2023, Lopatonok was named artistic director of an influence campaign called 'To Russia With Love'. According to records obtained by The Washington Post, the project received about $31,000 (£23,192) from the Presidential Foundation for Cultural Initiatives, a foundation created by Putin to support cultural projects.

The campaign sought online videos promoting Russia and challenging negative portrayals of the country in Western media. Its funding therefore came from a Russian state-linked cultural foundation, rather than from Putin personally.

That distinction matters. The available records establish a financial link between Lopatonok's Russian influence work and a Putin-created foundation. They do not show that Putin personally paid Patel's $25,000 or that the money Patel received came from the Russian government.