The US has accused Russia of meddling in the presidential election

The US government accuses Russia of meddling in the election. American influencers are also said to have played a role unwittingly. Washington is now facing sanctions against Russian state broadcaster RT.

The US has accused Russia of trying to influence the presidential election with targeted disinformation. Justice Minister Merrick Garland said the Kremlin used its state media to persuade unsuspecting influencers from the United States to take over its own propaganda. That's why bans were imposed, criminal charges were brought, and domain seizures were ordered.

Representatives of the Russian state broadcaster RT were also affected. Garland said the inner circle around Russian President Vladimir Putin instructed Russian PR firms to “promote disinformation and state-sponsored stories as part of a campaign to influence the 2024 US presidential election.”

AI and deep fakes

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.

Those affected by the punitive measures include RT editor-in-chief Margarita Simonjan and members of the channel's management team. As a result of the sanctions, any assets of the victims will be frozen in the United States. US citizens are prohibited from doing business with them. International business will also become significantly more difficult for those affected by the sanctions.

Always influential

These are not the first accusations of this kind: according to official US officials, Moscow has already interfered in previous US elections. According to US intelligence agencies, Russia campaigned for Republican Donald Trump in the 2020 election and tried to harm Democrat Joe Biden. According to the published intelligence report, Moscow wanted to influence the outcome of the election and sow discord in the country.

According to US security officials, Russia also interfered in the 2016 election in favor of candidate Trump to slow Democrat Hillary Clinton. A special investigator later opened an investigation into possible illegal collusion between Russia and Trump's team. There is insufficient evidence for this.