Russia uses its spy network, state media and social networks to undermine confidence in electoral processes around the world, says a US intelligence report released on October 20 and that was shared with more than 100 countries.
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“Russia is focused on carrying out operations to degrade public confidence in the integrity of the elections,” says the report, citing US intelligence findings.
“This is a global phenomenon. Our information indicates that senior Russian government officials, including in the Kremlin, value this type of influence operation and perceive it as effective.”
The evaluation, which was sent to the embassies of around 100 countries in Europe, Asia, Africa and North America, comes amid worsening tensions between Washington and Moscow on Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Russia committed to a “coordinated effort” between 2020 and 2022 to undermine confidence in at least 11 electoral processes in nine democracies, including the United States, the report says.
Another 17 democracies were targeted through “less pronounced” methods involving Russian messaging and social media activity to amplify national narratives related to election integrity, it added.
Without giving details of the affected countries, the report adds that the United States government shared information about Russian operations with these nations.
The United States recognizes its “own vulnerability to this threat”indicates the report, reiterating that Russian actors sought to undermine confidence in the 2020 elections that he won. Joe Biden against Donald Trump.
A State Department official said Russia pressed ahead with election influence operations following its apparent success in spreading disinformation about the 2020 US election and the Covid-19 pandemic.
The text states that Russia uses “overt or covert mechanisms” to influence the elections.
This includes influence networks managed by his security agency, the Federal Security Service, which tried to intimidate campaign officials in a European country’s elections in 2020, according to the document.
Russian state media amplified “false claims of voter fraud” in several elections in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and South America in 2020 and 2021according to the text.
Russia also exploited social media platforms and “proxy” websites to cast doubt on the integrity of elections in a South American country last year, the report states.
The Russian government has not immediately reacted to the report.
AFP
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