John Mark Dougan
John Mark Dougan, also known as BadVolf, is a former Florida deputy sheriff who moved to Russia in 2016. He operates websites used to spread Russian disinformation. The European Union sanctioned him on 15 December 2025, citing his involvement in the CopyCop network and support for Storm-1516 influence operations.[1]
Disinformation networks
On 11 November 2026, Max Bernhard and Alexej Hock reported for CORRECTIV on leaked messages, payment records and documents from Dougan’s computers. Their investigation connected his work to Valery Korovin’s Centre for Geopolitical Expertise and described payments from Yuri Khoroshevsky, identified in earlier reporting as a Russian military intelligence officer. Dougan acknowledged working as a consultant for the centre, while denying that he received payments for operating DC Weekly.[2]
The investigation describes software that used artificial intelligence to rewrite material for more than forty apparent news websites. Genuine reporting provided background material into which fabricated stories could be inserted. The records also contained instructions favouring Russian government narratives. CORRECTIV distinguished this documented infrastructure from an unresolved question: the leaked material did not establish Dougan’s continuing personal involvement in the German election operation exposed in 2025. Dougan denied involvement in election interference.[2]
November 2026 reporting
On 12 November 2026, Vatnik Soup published a guest investigation by Martin Laine about OAN correspondent Pearson Sharp and his contacts with John Mark Dougan. The seventeen-part thread examines their 2024–2026 correspondence, Sharp’s knowledge of the allegations concerning Dougan’s intelligence ties, and arrangements discussed for travel and interviews in Russia. It is a distinct investigation into those media relationships, alongside CORRECTIV’s account of the disinformation infrastructure.[3]
Sources and external links
- BaldVolf, website associated with the November 2026 release of material from Dougan’s computers.
- Dada Lyndell, “Johnny on the spot: A hack of ex-Marine-turned-defector John Dougan’s messages reveals the rise and fall of a Russian disinformation asset”, The Insider, 10 November 2026.
- CORRECTIV investigation, 11 November 2026.
- Vatnik Soup investigation of Pearson Sharp’s correspondence with John Mark Dougan, Martin Laine, 12 November 2026.
- ↑ Council of the European Union, Council Decision (CFSP) 2025/2572, 15 December 2025, Annex, entry 48.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Max Bernhard and Alexej Hock, „Dein Kampf ist an der Informationsfront“: Wie ein US-Amerikaner Fakes für Russland verbreitet, CORRECTIV, 11 November 2026.
- ↑ Martin Laine, Vatnik Soup: Pearson Sharp and John Mark Dougan, 12 November 2026, seventeen-part thread on the official Vatnik Soup Bluesky account.
