Quote:The Justice Department seized 32 websites and charged two Russian state media employees Wednesday in a Kremlin-backed campaign to influence voters in the U.S. presidential election by exploiting societal and political divisions — and by criticizing the competency of the U.S. military.
The Russian government used the websites to spread propaganda in an effort to bolster its interests, reduce international support for Ukraine and influence voters in the upcoming U.S. presidential election, as well as in other foreign elections, the Justice Department alleged in an affidavit. Russian actors tried to stir anti-military sentiments, among other tactics, the affidavit says.
Some of the websites were designed to mimic authentic news outlets, such as The Washington Post and Fox News, by publishing fake articles under copied logos and the names of real journalists, the Justice Department said. In other instances, the perpetrators created unique media brands to push propaganda.
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The Justice Department did not identify which candidate Russia sought to boost, and it redacted the names of political parties in the Russian planning documents released Wednesday, labeling them as “U.S. Political Party A” and “U.S. Political Party B.” However, the Russian documents make clear that the Kremlin favors former President Donald Trump, seeing him as skeptical of U.S. support for Ukraine. For instance, the documents describe “Political Party B” as being “left-wing” and currently holding power, and “Political Party A” as conservative.
“It makes sense for Russia to put a maximum effort to ensure that the ‘U.S. Political Party A’ point of view (first and foremost, the opinion of ‘Candidate A’ supporters) wins over the U.S. public opinion,” one Kremlin planning document states. “This includes provisions on peace in Ukraine in exchange for territories, the need to focus on the problems of the U.S. economy, returning troops home from all over the world, etc.”
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