Oh he might not be officially affiliated but he has been a russian mouthpiece for a long time and he took Russia Today money for a long time. The difference is that now he is doing it for free, or at least deferring his request for money at the moment.
yeah, he is<p><a href="https://twitter.com/JimMFelton/status/1511743376441413640" rel="nofollow">https://twitter.com/JimMFelton/status/1511743376441413640</a>