According to reports from Washington, winning Ukraine may require the intervention of Vladimir Putin in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas.

Recently, Russian state-controlled media and online profiles linked to the Kremlin have shared and promoted misleading and provocative material regarding American immigration and border control. This effort appears to be aimed at fueling anger and division in anticipation of the 2024 presidential election, and experts who research Russian propaganda warn that there will likely be more in the future as Putin seeks to undermine support for Ukraine and disrupt a crucial source of assistance.

On various social media platforms and websites, these profiles falsely portray the effects of immigration, showcase incidents of crimes committed by immigrants, and stress potential negative outcomes if there is not strict enforcement at the Mexico-U.S. border. These posts are often deceptive, selectively using information or spreading false claims that have already been disproven.

The shift towards the United States follows two years where Russia’s extensive disinformation infrastructure was heavily involved in promoting propaganda and false information about their invasion of Ukraine. Scholars who analyze how authoritarian regimes exploit the internet to disseminate disinformation state that undermining support for Ukraine remains Russia’s main objective, and they are simply discovering different methods to achieve it.

Kyle Walter, the head of research at Logically, a technology company that monitors disinformation campaigns, stated that there have been noticeable changes, even within the last few days. Despite previous warnings from experts and government officials about Russia’s motives, Walter believes that the content observed this year is the first clear indication of their focus on U.S. elections.

During this month, Logically found numerous accounts with pro-Russian affiliation discussing U.S. immigration and actively promoting anti-immigration demonstrations in Texas. According to Logically’s recent evaluation, Russia’s disinformation efforts, previously focused on the conflict in Ukraine, have shifted their attention towards the U.S. in 2024.

Numerous posts focus on purported crimes carried out by newly arrived immigrants or insinuate that migrants place a strain on the neighborhoods they settle in. Certain accusations were shared by users with minimal reach, while others originated from government-run outlets with large followings.

This week, social media accounts exploded with reactions to the recent passing of a nursing student in Georgia and the arrest of a Venezuelan man who had entered the country illegally. Despite being given permission to stay in order to handle his immigration case, the man’s detainment became a talking point for former President Donald Trump and other Republicans, who argue that migrants are more prone to committing crimes compared to American citizens. However, the available evidence does not back up these assertions.

The information, created in the English language, has rapidly spread to websites and platforms favored by American voters. A video of a recent protest against immigration, aired by the Russian network RT, has gained thousands of views on X (formerly Twitter) this week, resulting in angry responses from other users.

Sputnik, a news organization from Russia, published an article discussing the increasing demand for a border wall between the United States and Mexico. This is a key objective for President Trump, although he was unsuccessful in fulfilling it during his presidency. According to data from the online analytics company Semrush.com, over half of the websites that later shared the Sputnik article were based in the U.S. In general, the largest audience for Sputnik’s English-language content comes from Americans.

American officials are cautioning that, in 2024, Russia may attempt to interfere in the voting processes of over 50 nations, representing half of the global population, who will be holding national elections. While Russia may have a vested interest in the results of many of these elections, such as the European Parliament, the United States presents a particularly appealing opportunity and reward.

The current U.S. election has major implications for Russia’s attempts to conquer Ukraine. President Joe Biden has promised strong support for Ukraine, but Republicans have shown less enthusiasm. Former President Trump has openly praised Russian leader Vladimir Putin and even suggested that he would possibly support a Russian attack on NATO allies if they do not contribute enough to the military alliance.

More than half of Republicans believe the U.S. is spending too much on Ukraine, according to a recent poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research that found Democrats to be much more supportive of additional aid.

Soon after the war started, Russia mounted a disinformation campaign designed to cut into support for Ukraine. Claims included wild stories about secret U.S. germ warfare labs or Nazi conspiracies or that Ukrainian refugees were committing crimes and taking jobs from people who had welcomed them.

The effort persists, however, Russia has also redirected its focus to unrelated issues that are prone to weaken the solidarity of its rivals, such as immigration, inflation, and prominent topics in the U.S. and Europe.

According to Bret Schafer, a senior fellow and leader of the organization’s team dedicated to identifying and combating misinformation, these actors are highly skilled and knowledgeable in manipulating public opinion. Their tactic may involve diverting attention to issues along the southern border in order to achieve their ultimate goal of diminishing support for Ukraine. Their strategy centers on convincing the U.S. and the E.U. to discontinue supplying weapons and aid to Ukraine.

The Russian Embassy in Washington did not respond to a message left immediately.

The election in America could be an attractive goal for authoritarian countries like China and Iran, who, similar to Russia, have previously utilized online propaganda and misinformation to advance their agendas.

The internet landscape has undergone significant changes following Russia’s attempt to interfere in the 2016 US presidential election, which was won by Trump. Social media platforms, including Facebook and Instagram, have taken action by banning numerous Russian state accounts and implementing new measures to prevent exploitation on their sites. For instance, Meta, the parent company of Facebook, announced last autumn that they had detected and put a stop to a network of thousands of fraudulent accounts originating from China, presumably with the intention of deceiving American voters.

Some other platforms, like X, have chosen a different method, reversing or removing content moderation and regulations aimed at preventing misinformation. On the other hand, there is the app TikTok, which has sparked concerns in various state capitals and in Washington due to its Chinese background and appeal to a young audience.

Another worrying issue is artificial intelligence. The current technology has made it significantly simpler to produce realistic audio or video content that could potentially deceive voters.

“Social media is no longer the sole battleground. Russia and other sources of misinformation now utilize encrypted messaging platforms or fake news websites in their tactics.”

John Hultquist, the chief analyst at Mandiant Intelligence, a cybersecurity company that monitors Russian disinformation, stated that a significant amount of their operations have shifted away from popular platforms to locations that allow for greater maneuverability.

Logically’s research director, Walter, expressed his greatest concern for the spread of disinformation on X and TikTok due to their lack of regulation and high usage rates, particularly among younger voters. The potential links to China have also sparked national security worries in regards to TikTok.

According to him, election years tend to bring attention to the risks of false or misleading information. However, the most successful campaigns of spreading information occur many years before. Countries opposing America have taken considerable time to understand its political landscape, establish online connections, and encourage internal divisions.

It’s time for the reward.

According to Walter, spreading false information does not require much effort since it has already been established prior to 2024.

Source: wral.com