US announces criminal charges following Russian attempts to interfere in elections

WashingtonThe U.S. government announced a broad range of actions Wednesday aimed at combating Russian interference in the country’s upcoming presidential election, unsealing criminal charges against two employees of a Russian state-run media company and seizing internet domains used by the Kremlin to spread disinformation.

The moves represent an attempt by the U.S. government to thwart a persistent threat from Russia that U.S. officials have long warned has the potential to sow discord and create confusion among voters.

Washington has said Russia remains the top threat to the election even as the FBI investigates an Iranian hack of Donald Trump’s campaign and an attempt to undermine the campaign of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.

One of the criminal cases accuses two employees of RT, a Russian state-funded media organization that was forced by the Justice Department to declare itself a foreign agent, of covertly funding a Tennessee-based content creation company to publish nearly 2,000 videos containing Russian propaganda. The defendants, who remain at large, used false identities and the company was unaware that it was being used by Russia.

In another move, authorities announced the seizure of 32 internet domains that were used by the Kremlin to spread Russian propaganda and undermine global support for Ukraine.

Attorney General Merrick Garland said the actions are related to Russia’s use of state-run media to recruit unwitting American influencers to spread propaganda and disinformation.

Intelligence agencies have previously accused Russia of using disinformation to try to interfere in the election. The new steps show the depth of US concerns and signal legal action against those suspected of involvement.

“Today’s announcement underscores the lengths to which some foreign governments will go to undermine American democratic institutions,” the State Department said. “But these foreign governments should also know that we will not tolerate malign foreign actors intentionally interfering in and undermining free and fair elections.”

In a speech last month, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said Russia remained the greatest threat to election integrity, accusing Russian President Vladimir Putin and “his proxies of using increasingly sophisticated techniques in their interference operations. They target specific voter demographics and swing-state voters to manipulate the results of presidential and congressional elections. They seek to co-opt unwitting Americans on social media to spread messages that favor Russian interests.”