The US government accuses Russia of interfering in the upcoming presidential election in November. The US has imposed sanctions on several individuals and organizations, including representatives of the Russian state broadcaster RT, the Treasury Department and Attorney General Merrick Garland announced in Washington. Garland said the inner circle around Russian President Vladimir Putin had instructed Russian PR firms to “promote disinformation and state-sponsored narratives as part of a campaign to influence the 2024 US presidential election.”
Serious accusations against Moscow
The Treasury Department said Russian state-backed actors have long used a variety of tools, such as artificial intelligence, deep fakes, and targeted disinformation, to undermine trust in the processes and institutions surrounding U.S. elections. In early 2024, RT executives also began covertly recruiting unwitting American social media influencers for their influence efforts. RT used a front company to conceal its own or the Russian government’s involvement in content aimed at influencing the American public.
The aim of exerting influence in various ways was also to spread Russian government propaganda in the USA and to undermine support for Ukraine, which was attacked by Russia.
RT boss also affected by sanctions
Among those affected by the sanctions are RT editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan and other members of the channel’s management team. As a result of the sanctions, any assets of those affected in the USA will be frozen. US citizens will be prohibited from doing business with them. The sanctions also make international business much more difficult for those affected.
Not the first allegations of this kind
According to American officials, Moscow had already interfered in previous US elections. According to US intelligence services, Russia supported Republican Donald Trump in the 2020 election and tried to harm Democrat Joe Biden. Moscow wanted to influence the outcome of the election and sow discord in the country, according to a published intelligence report.
US security authorities are also convinced that Russia intervened in the 2016 election in favor of candidate Trump in order to thwart Democrat Hillary Clinton. A special investigator later investigated possible illegal agreements between Russia and Trump’s team. There was insufficient evidence for this.
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