Rusia reportedly launches influence campaign against US politicians who support Ukraine
US lawmakers said Russia is running a covert online influence campaign ahead of the November 3 midterm elections, targeting Democratic and Republican politicians who support Ukraine. According to the intelligence assessment disclosed by the lawmakers, the campaign seeks to undermine trust in US institutions and voting machines, but no evidence of attempts to hack election infrastructure or campaign networks was found.
Puntos clave
- The campaign targets Democratic and Republican politicians who support Ukraine.
- Mark Warner and Jim Himes disclosed the findings on October 21.
- The alleged operations aim to create a sense of chaos and undermine trust in US institutions.
- US intelligence found no evidence of attempts to hack election infrastructure or political campaign networks.
- The report says Russia is likely using AI to spread disinformation faster and target audiences more precisely.
- X said it removed more than 13,000 accounts linked to Russian, Chinese and Iranian disinformation campaigns.
- The US midterm elections are scheduled for November 3.
Por qué importa
The reported campaign links the US election process to continued support for Kyiv because it targets politicians from both parties who back Ukraine. The use of AI could make disinformation more difficult to detect and respond to, while the reported removal of more than 13,000 accounts shows the scale of cross-country activity on social platforms. However, US intelligence found no evidence of attempts to compromise election infrastructure, limiting the immediate operational threat.
Qué ha ocurrido
On October 21, Senator Mark Warner, the vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, and Jim Himes, a senior member of the House Intelligence Committee, described a classified US intelligence assessment of Russian activity. The alleged campaign targets both Democratic and Republican politicians who support Ukraine, with disinformation intended to undermine confidence in government institutions and cast doubt on voting machines. Warner said Russia is likely using AI to spread information more rapidly and reach audiences more precisely. Lawmakers said the assessment does not identify particular political candidates as targets and that intelligence found no concrete evidence of attempts to hack election infrastructure or campaign networks. X separately reported removing more than 13,000 accounts linked to Russian, Chinese and Iranian disinformation operations.
Cómo lo cuentan las fuentes internacionales
The reported campaign places Ukraine’s support in the United States at the center of foreign influence operations. The disclosure also highlights the international scope of election interference: the classified report describes Chinese and Iranian influence operations, although lawmakers said Russia’s campaign attracted the most attention because of its scale.
Dónde difieren las versiones
A spokesperson for House Intelligence Committee Chair Rick Crawford accused Warner and Himes of selectively releasing information to the press. The spokesperson also claimed that Democrats seek to expose Russian activity while ignoring the Chinese Communist Party’s actions.
Contexto
US authorities have accused Russia of spreading disinformation in every US election cycle since 2016. Earlier allegations included hacking the Democratic National Committee and efforts to undermine Hillary Clinton in 2016, as well as disinformation attributed to Russia in the 2018 and 2024 elections. Russia has also been accused of interfering in elections in Georgia, Moldova and France.