Bermudian-based non-profits are being used as part of a disinformation campaign by Russian president Vladimir Putin that targets the American energy industry, a US Congressman has claimed.

Mark Green, a Republican from Tennessee, was appearing on The Evening Edit programme on Fox Business, hosted by Elizabeth MacDonald.

Ms MacDonald said that Republicans are “looking into Russia funding anti-fracking climate activists to destroy US energy independence.

“Russia has repeatedly hacked into the US power grid — a big hack four years ago, right.”

She added: “Congressman Green, does Putin know the power grid is not ready to take on a flood of electric cars? It could collapse the system.”

Dr Green replied: “Of course he does and now we have evidence that, I think, several million dollars has been routed through non-profit organisations in Bermuda to basically attack our energy industry, to push the anti-fracking business, the environmentalist claims.

“It’s a huge, massive disinformation campaign for Putin. It’s right up there with his involvement in our elections and, you know, this whole Steele dossier stuff that was the nice, shiny object that took the mainstream media — a lot of them anyway, and a bunch of Democrats — off track and distracted while he was advancing his agenda.”

The six-minute segment also featured Nicole Malliotakis, a Republican Congresswoman from New York.

It has been viewed nearly 170,000 times on YouTube and has attracted more than 1,100 comments.

Dr Green, 57, is a physician and retired US Army major who has served as the US representative for Tennessee's 7th congressional district since 2019, his official website says.

He also served in the Tennessee Senate from 2013 to 2018.

While serving in the US Army, Dr Green deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan in the War on Terror — and was involved with the capture of Saddam Hussein.

During the mission, he interrogated Mr Hussein for six hours.

The encounter is detailed in a book Dr Green authored, A Night With Saddam.