Russian interference is again threatening to figure prominently in the US election, with mounting evidence that Moscow-sponsored players are targeting Democratic party nominee Kamala Harris.

Microsoft on Wednesday warned that Russian agents are using fake videos and bogus social media accounts to target Harris and her running mate Tim Walz.

It comes after evidence of widespread online misinformation from Russia to attempt to boost Donald Trump’s presidential prospects in the 2016 and 2020 elections.

The Microsoft report found a major uptick in false content about Harris and Walz has been flooding the internet in recent weeks.

“The shift to focusing on the Harris-Walz campaign reflects a strategic move by Russian actors aimed at exploiting any perceived vulnerabilities in the new candidates,” Clint Watts, general manager of Microsoft’s Threat Analysis Centre, wrote in a blog post accompanying the report.

Ukraine support

Watts said the motivation for attacking Harris may not necessarily mean they support Trump.

He said they are motivated to undermine anyone who “is supporting Ukraine in their policy”.

Harris has vowed to continue supporting US ally Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s invasion if elected, while Trump has said only that he wants “the war to stop”.

During the 2020 election campaign, Russia used state television and online news channel RT and state-sponsored radio station Sputnik to broadcast a range of content calling the legitimacy of the US democratic process into question. 

Russian-sponsored bots and trolls were also found to have been propagating divisive disinformation and conspiracy theories online.

Ahead of the 2024 poll, the US Department of Justice this month seized a network of Russian-run internet domains, and sanctioned 10 people including RT  editor Margarita Simonyan for “activities that aim to deteriorate public trust in our institutions”.

The US government has also charged two Moscow-based managers of RT, Konstantin Kalashnikov and Elena Afanasyeva, under money laundering law for allegedly paying US content creators to amplify out “pro-Russia propaganda and disinformation”.

Trump-Russia links

In June 2016, three members of the Trump campaign – his son Donald Trump Jr, son-in-law Jared Kushner and campaign manager Paul Manafort – met Russian lobbyists just three days after they were warned of potential interference in the campaign.

Robert Mueller’s subsequent investigation into Russian interference found that Moscow intelligence agents had hacked and released damaging emails from Hillary Clinton’s campaign in 2016.

While identifying numerous connections between Trump’s campaign and the Russian government, it “did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired or co-ordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities”.

A 2021 report into Russian interference from the Director of National Intelligence found the same tactics being used that were laid out by the Justice Department in its indictment.

“A key element of Moscow’s strategy (in the 2020) election cycle was its use of proxies linked to Russian intelligence to push influence narratives – including misleading or unsubstantiated allegations against President Biden – to US media organisations, US officials, and prominent US individuals,” the report said.

“Unlike in 2016, we did not see persistent Russian cyber efforts to gain access to election infrastructure.”

Moscow’s strategies

Dr Precious Chatterje-Doody, a senior lecturer in politics and international studies and co-author of the book Russia, Disinformation and the Liberal Order identified five common tactics used by Russian influence organisations.

They include:

• Paying local online influencers – especially among populist right-wing media – to produce social media content that aligns with Russian interests
• Setting up fake news outlets masquerading as local sites, spread misinformation and amplify core Russian talking points
• Fuelling existing concerns within the US by linking content to “fears and concerns that are already important in any society”

• Attempting to “flip the script” by repeatedly denying any involvement in influence campaigns, and dismissing dismissed US allegations as a “Russophobia”

• Using humour to legitimise Russia’s actions or neutralise critiques. Several RT advertising campaigns have used foreign criticisms as a selling point.

Simonyan said earlier this year the Kremlin is creating sources of information that aren’t tied to the Russian organisation within the US, describing it as a cat and mouse game with the CIA and “actually fun”.