The United States government has announced several legal actions and new investigations into Russian attempts to influence the presidential election set for November 5. Attorney General Merrick Garland said Wednesday that the actions are related to Russia’s use of state media to recruit. influencers Americans to spread propaganda and disinformation, according to the Associated Press news agency.
“The American people have a right to know when a foreign power is involved in political activities or seeking to influence public debate,” Garland said in statements reported by the newspaper. The New York Times“The investigation is continuing,” he added.
EFE reports that the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), part of the US Treasury Department, has sanctioned two Russian entities and ten individuals, including several journalists and directors of the RT channel, which was suspended from broadcasting in October 2022, after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
“Russian state-sponsored actors have a long history of using various tools, such as deepfakes and generative artificial intelligence disinformation, to attempt to undermine trust in U.S. electoral processes and institutions,” OFAC said in a statement.
Two Russian RT employees, Kostiantyn Kalashnikov, 31, and Elena Afanasyeva, 27, were charged with participating in “a $10 million scheme to create and distribute content to the American public that contained hidden messages from the Russian government.” According to the Justice Department, “Russian state broadcaster RT and its employees, including the defendants, co-opted online commentators by funneling nearly $10 million to spread pro-Russian propaganda and disinformation via social media targeting the American public.”
For its part, the State Department announced a new “restrictive policy” regarding visas for individuals who “act on behalf of Kremlin-backed media outlets, use those outlets as a cover for covert activities, and are responsible for or complicit in covert influence.”
Meanwhile, the FBI has asked the court for permission to seize 32 Internet domains that investigations say were involved in attempts to exert “malign foreign influence,” including attempts to undermine public support for U.S. military aid to Ukraine to fight the Russian invasion.
U.S. authorities have been investigating possible cyberattacks and disinformation campaigns by Russia to influence the November election. U.S. intelligence agencies believe the Kremlin prefers the Republican candidate, former President Donald Trump, to win because of his stance on the war in Ukraine.
To promote his victory, he allegedly used state media outlets like RT to spread anti-American messages and content, fake websites and social media accounts that amplify this content and get American users talking about it, without knowing where this content comes from or who is behind it.
