Russia is running a covert online disinformation campaign aimed at U.S. politicians who back Ukraine, two Democratic lawmakers said on October 21. Senator Mark Warner and Representative Jim Himes told reporters that an intelligence briefing from Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton had shown Russian efforts to undermine American support for Ukraine. The details were classified.
The targets, they said, are candidates in the coming midterms, Democrats and Republicans alike, who have voiced support for Kyiv.
What the lawmakers described
According to Politico, the campaign uses social media to sow distrust in the integrity of U.S. elections and create “a sense of chaos and anarchy.” The lawmakers added that artificial intelligence has sped the work up, letting Russian operatives reach Americans more effectively.
Warner named two candidates as especially hit by AI-generated ads: Senator Jon Ossoff, a Democrat seeking re-election in Georgia, and James Talarico, a Democrat running for a Senate seat in Texas. On October 22, three teams of disinformation researchers said AI-generated videos aimed at Talarico, which appeared after early voting began in Texas, were likely made by a Russian government-backed group, NBC News reported.
A familiar pattern, a softer line from Washington
Similar Russian campaigns have also targeted France, Moldova and the United Kingdom, and they have become a regular feature of U.S. elections. In 2016, a grand jury indicted twelve Russian nationals over interference in the presidential race. The Justice Department said in a 2018 press release that the operatives “engaged in a sustained effort” to hack the networks of the Democratic National Committee, the Democratic Congressional Committee and Hillary Clinton’s campaign.
The warning comes as the Trump administration appears to be easing its stance toward Moscow. Trump recently announced that the U.S. would let Russia export diesel into American markets, and on October 16 he waived sanctions, passed with bipartisan backing, aimed at countries that buy Russian energy.
