It had been threatened for some time, but now the USA is serious: They are accusing Russia of interfering in the presidential election. Washington is imposing sanctions.
The USA has imposed sanctions on officials at the Russian state broadcaster RT, whom it accuses of attempting to interfere in this year’s US presidential election. The sanctions affect ten officials and two organizations, the Treasury Department announced in Washington on Wednesday.
Those affected include RT editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan, hackers, and a non-governmental organization linked to the Kremlin. The US authorities accuse them of using artificial intelligence (AI) in disinformation campaigns directed “against the election campaign” in the USA.
US media had previously reported unanimously on the Biden administration’s plans. The plan involves allegations of using online platforms to target US voters with false information, CNN reported, citing insiders.
The US Department of Justice had previously warned that Russia was a threat to the November 5 presidential election. Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said in August that Russian President Vladimir Putin and his henchmen were using increasingly sophisticated techniques and disinformation in their interference. “They are targeting certain groups of voters and voters in certain states in order to manipulate the results of presidential and congressional elections,” she said.
“They intend to co-opt unwitting Americans on social media to spread narratives that advance Russian interests. They are working to weaken American support for Ukraine. And they are constantly adapting,” Monaco continued.
The US had also warned of Russian interference in the run-up to previous elections. In August 2020, for example, US counterintelligence said Russia was trying to undermine the credibility of Democratic candidate Joe Biden.
In addition to Russia, China and Iran also spread false information online to influence voters, foment disorder and undermine Americans’ faith in the democratic process. The then Republican US President Donald Trump said: “We will be watching them all, we have to be very careful.”
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Source: reuters
According to the information, analyses by the US intelligence services had also shown that Russia had supported Trump in the 2016 election and worked against his then Democratic rival Hillary Clinton. Trump was elected president in 2016, and Biden prevailed in 2020. Trump will run again in November, with Vice President Kamala Harris running for the Democrats. Polls currently predict a close race.
Outside the United States, Western countries have also accused Russia of interference in the past. In June, for example, the United States, Canada and Great Britain declared before the presidential election in the Republic of Moldova that the government in Moscow was using disinformation and online propaganda to increase social tensions and create a negative perception of the West and the Moldovan government. Russian President Putin said in March that his country does not interfere in elections.
