Russia will likely attempt to influence elections across the globe using what it learned from the recent U. S. presidential election, according to a report released by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) Friday.
The report said Russia’s attempts to influence the U. S. election signals a “new normal” in its efforts to impact foreign adversaries. It is especially likely that Russian President Vladimir Putin will target the elections of U. S. allies, ostensibly NATO and Europe.
“We assess Moscow will apply lessons learned from its campaign aimed at the US presidential election to future influence efforts in the United States and worldwide, including against US allies and their election processes,” noted the report. “We assess the Russian intelligence services would have seen their election influence campaign as at least a qualified success because of their perceived ability to impact public discussion.”
The report also warned that Russia engaged in a spear-phishing campaign shortly after Election Day, supposedly in an effort to “provide material for future influence efforts as well as foreign intelligence collection on the incoming administration’s goals and plans.”
The ODNI report is the result of an investigation into Russian meddling in U. S. elections ordered by President Barack Obama. The report assessed that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an “influence campaign” aimed at the 2016 election in order to “undermine public faith in the U. S. democratic process, denigrate Secretary Clinton, and harm her electability and potential presidency.”
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