Russian Disinformation On the Rise as U.S. Election Approaches
- by The Debrief
- Oct 17, 2024
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October 17, 2024
Welcome to this week’s edition of The Intelligence Brief… in the weeks leading up to the November U.S. election, Russian disinformation efforts have been on the rise. In our analysis this week, we’ll be looking at 1) recent revelations involving online groups linked to Russia and their dissemination of pro-Kremlin disinformation, 2) tactics leveraged by the Storm-1516 group against Western audiences, 3) the key role of AI and other technologies in these propagandistic efforts, and 4) the threats such disinformation pose, as well as how they can be combatted.
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“Russia has meddled in our society and tried to sow discord for decades. Really what we’re seeing is just more tools in the toolbox.”
– U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland
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With that all behind us, it’s time to shift our focus over to the latest revelations involving Russian disinformation and the use of propaganda to impact the West in advance of the U.S. 2024 election.
Russian Disinformation Targeted Western Audiences: Report
A Russian disinformation group has been actively leveraging AI and other manipulative techniques, including the use of faked audio, imagery, and documents, to disseminate disinformation to Western mainstream audiences.
This, according to a recent bombshell NBC News report, which details the actions of Storm-1516, a shadowy Russian group that has produced fake videos featuring actors posing as alleged whistleblowers who spun false narratives involving everything from the War in Ukraine, to claims involving the candidates in the 2024 U.S. election.
Although many of the claims promoted by the group’s videos were debunked before they gained traction, some of the fabricated stories managed to reach a wider audience, all of them promoting narratives aimed at potentially helping advance Moscow’s military and political objectives.
However, the new revelations about Storm-1516’s role in seeding pro-Russian propaganda are just one area where false narratives and questionable claims have emerged in the weeks prior to Americans heading to the ballot box in November.
Storm-1516: What We Know So Far
Since last fall, close to 50 instances involving false narratives that are likely linked to Russian propaganda have been identified. Several of these efforts, which include actors posing as purported whistleblowers, appear to target Western support for Ukraine’s defense, while others focus on political efforts that include the re-election of former U.S. president Donald Trump.
Several of the efforts have been linked to groups like Storm-1516, a pro-Kremlin outfit characterized as a “troll farm” that leverages social media and other outlets online for the dissemination of Russian propaganda. Among the groups activities outlined in the recent NBC News coverage were false accusations alleged against Vice President Kamala Harris, the current Democratic Nominee, as well as claims of a CIA plot against Donald Trump.
Beyond U.S. politics, one video linked to the group claims to feature testimony from a “whistleblower” who asserts that Ukrainian leaders had squandered money from U.S. aid for the purchase of yachts, none of which were ever purchased. Despite active efforts to expose the false claims, in several instances they have managed to reach prominent figures that include members of Congress and other officials.
Amplification of False Narratives with AI and Other Technologies
A key component of the recent efforts involves the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and other sophisticated technologies to bolster the reach of false narratives. Bot networks operating on social media were also a prevalent component of the recent disinformation attempts.
In April, an incident logged by the AI Incident Database, which documents events linked to harmful activity associated with the deployment of various AI systems, reported that Storm-1516 had used a fake AI rendering of an alleged individual in Kyiv named “Olesya” that claimed to be involved with efforts in support for President Biden in the U.S. election.
“This disinformation campaign aimed to mislead voters, erode trust in democratic institutions, and influence the 2024 election,” read a portion of a summary of the incident featured at the AI Incident Database website, adding that the incident may also have included involvement from “individuals linked to Valery Korovin, and potential veterans of the Internet Research Agency.”
In September, The Microsoft Threat Analysis Center reported on efforts by Russia and Iran that variously targeted both major U.S. political parties in advance of the 2024 election, some of which involved “covert social media personas” and use of fabricated U.S. news websites.
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