Russia’s US election influence campaign has picked up the pace over the last two months, writes Microsoft, but the less contested primary season means it hasn’t been.
In brief: Russia is once again running online campaigns in an attempt to manipulate the presidential elections in the US, albeit at a slower pace than what we saw during previous elections. Microsoft writes that the country is mostly trying to undermine support for Ukraine and NATO among US audiences.
Russia’s US election influence campaign has picked up the pace over the last two months, writes Microsoft, but the less contested primary season means it hasn’t been as intense as in 2016 and 2020.
Russia’s primary focus in its campaign is spreading support for its war in Ukraine through disinformation, reducing support for NATO, and causing infighting within the US, using traditional and social media and a mix of covert and overt campaigns.
Microsoft writes that Russian-affiliated group Storm-1516 pushes an anti-Ukraine message by creating a video of someone presenting as a whistleblower or citizen journalist spreading a Russian-positive narrative about the war.
