“Russia, Iran, and China are all trying by some measure to exacerbate divisions in U.S. society for their own benefit, and see election periods as moments of vulnerability,” said a U.S. government official this Friday.
As we get closer to the 2024 presidential election, more reports of how these nations have been working to influence U.S. voters have come out. Here’s what we know so far.
During their Friday remarks, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence official said: “These actors most likely judge that amplifying controversial issues and rhetoric that seeks to divide Americans can serve their interests by making the U.S. and its democratic system look weak, and by keeping the U.S. Government distracted with internal issues instead of pushing back on their hostile behavior globally.”
Russia
Russia is considered the most active foreign influence, the official said. In part, these efforts are aimed at weakening U.S. support for Ukraine, which Russian Federation invaded in February 2022. With help from the U.S. and other allies, Ukraine has continued to fight off Russian attacks, including those that target civilians.
This Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Justice released multiple announcements regarding Russian efforts to influence the U.S. These include: an indictment charging two Russian nationals with conspiracy to violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act and conspiracy to commit money laundering for funding the creation of U.S. content with “hidden Russian government messaging” as well as more indictments for cyber-intrusions and the seizure of 32 internet domains used to spread false information.
Kostiantyn Kalashnikov, 31, and Elena Afanasyeva, 27, – former Russia Today (a government-owned outlet now called RT) employees who are now at large – were the two Russian nationals indicted for the $10 million scheme to distribute Russian government content to U.S. audiences. Per the indictment, they covertly financed a Tennessee-based online content creation company that published English-language videos to social media channels such as TikTok, Instagram, X, and YouTube.
Since it launched last November, this company has posted 2,000 videos that garnered more than 16 million views in YouTube alone. CNN reported that it independently confirmed the company referenced by the DOJ is Tenet media and that it has a roster of right-wing social media stars. As of Saturday, tenetmedia.com’s talent list included Laura Southern, Tim Pool, Tayler Hansen, Matt Christiansen, Dave Rubin and Benny Johnson.
According to the allegations, Kalashnikov posed as an outside editor and Afanasyeva posed as a member of his team. Then, they allegedly edited and posted hundreds of videos in addition to giving instructions to company staff. They face up to 25 years in prison for the charges included in the indictment.
“The Justice Department will not tolerate attempts by an authoritarian regime to exploit our country’s free exchange of ideas in order to covertly further its own propaganda efforts, and our investigation into this matter remains ongoing,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland in a press release about the indictments.
Also, the DOJ announced Wednesday the ongoing seizure of 32 internet domains allegedly used in Russian government-directed foreign malign influence campaigns. These campaigns are referred to as “Doppelganger” because they utilize domain names that are very close to those used by another person or company.
“The perpetrators extensively utilized ‘cybersquatted’ domains, a method of registering a domain intended to mimic another person or company’s website (e.g., registering washingtonpost.pm to mimic washingtonpost.com), to publish Russian government messaging falsely presented as content from legitimate news media organizations,” said the DOJ.
Russian companies Social Design Agency (SDA), Structura National Technology (Structura), and ANO Dialog used the domains under the direction and control of the Russian Presidential Administration, per an unsealed affidavit. Some of their alleged goals were to covertly spread Russian propaganda, reduce U.S. support for Ukraine, and influence voters in the upcoming U.S. election. Other methods used by the companies included use of “influencers” as well as paid social media advertisements, use of artificial intelligence, and the creation of fake social media profiles to post comments on social media platforms with links to the cybersquatted domains, the DOJ said.
Then, on Thursday, the DOJ announced “a superseding indictment against five officers of the Russian military intelligence agency, known as the GRU, and one civilian Russian cyber-criminal for their campaign to conduct cyber intrusions,” adding to charges made public in June against Russian civilian, Amin Stigal. Defendants included in these indictments are allegedly responsible for a series of computer attacks, and “conspiracies related to cyber intrusions targeting victims in the United States, in Ukraine and elsewhere.”
“As this week’s U.S. Government actions further demonstrated, Russia is using actors such as the U.S.-sanctioned organizations the Social Design Agency and ANO Dialogue and the state media outlet RT to covertly amplify and stoke domestic divisions and push for Russia’s preferred electoral outcomes,” said the Office of the Director of National Intelligence official Friday.
Along with the Justice Department announcements, the U.S. State Department said it is introducing a new visa restriction policy, making Foreign Missions Act determinations, and announcing a $10 million Rewards for Justice offer related to Kremlin-supported media. It also announced an up to $1 million reward for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Stigal and a new $250 million aid package of weapons for Ukraine.
Iran
According to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence official, the intelligence community also believes Iran is “making a greater effort than in the past to influence this year’s elections, even as its tactics and approaches are similar to prior cycles.”
They said Iran has a “multi-pronged” approach similar to Russia that aims to undermine confidence in our electoral process. One reported scheme by Iran is a “hack-and-leak” campaign against former President Donald Trump, the current GOP candidate, said the official. Last month, the FBI also released a statement about Iran’s efforts to promote discord in the U.S., exploit societal tensions and gain access to sensitive information related to U.S. elections and that Iran has attempted to access campaigns from both Republicans and Democrats.
“Iran perceives this year’s elections to be particularly consequential in terms of the impact they could have on its national security interests, increasing Tehran’s inclination to try to shape the outcome,” said the FBI of the intelligence community’s assessment. “We have observed increasingly aggressive Iranian activity during this election cycle, specifically involving influence operations targeting the American public and cyber operations targeting presidential campaigns.”
Both Iran and Russia have used similar tactics in the past, said the FBI.
China
Lastly, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence official said China “is focused on influencing down-ballot races,” an approach it also took in the 2022 midterm elections.
“The IC continues to assess that China is not attempting to influence the presidential race,” said the official. “China is also continuing its longstanding efforts to build relationships with U.S. officials and entities at state and local levels because it perceives Washington as largely opposed to China. This view likely informs Beijing’s greater interest in some non-presidential races.”
While it does not appear that China seeks to influence the U.S. presidential election, the official also said that it does seem to make some effort to engage U.S. audiences on divisive political issues, such as protests about the Israel-Gaza conflict.
This Tuesday, the Associated Press reported that China has been cultivating fake social media accounts designed to mimic American users. It said some of these accounts can be traced back to a disinformation group called Spamouflage, according to analysts at Graphika, a New York-based firm that tracks online networks. Spamoflage is known for posting disinformation alongside large amounts of unrelated content.
“One of the world’s largest covert online influence operations — an operation run by Chinese state actors – has become more aggressive in its efforts to infiltrate and to sway U.S. political conversations ahead of the election,” Jack Stubbs, Graphika’s chief intelligence officer, told the AP.