In a joint statement, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency said the Russian activity was part of “Moscow’s broader effort to raise unfounded questions about the integrity of the US election and stoke divisions among Americans”.
Disinformation researchers have already highlighted a multipronged effort to sow chaos and sway voters ahead of the November 5 election – from pro-Russian bot accounts on the platform X to pro-Kremlin sites masquerading as “news” outlets and influencers allegedly on Moscow’s payroll.
Darren Linvill, a disinformation expert at Clemson University, said the latest video bore the hallmarks of the Russian propaganda network Storm-1516.
“They were very careful in how they filmed it not to give anything away” to digital sleuths, said Linvill, who has closely studied the group.
“Importantly, they also use what are likely West African actors, frequently recruited from the Saint Petersburg area,” he told AFP.
