How is the US planning to counter Russian interference ahead of 2024 polls?

In anticipation of the upcoming presidential election, the United States on Wednesday, announced a comprehensive effort to counter Russian influence campaigns targeting the 2024 election. This initiative aims to limit the Kremlin’s use of state-operated media and disinformation websites to sway American voters, according to a report from The New York Times.

The measures include sanctions, indictments, and the seizure of web domains that US officials say are utilised by the Kremlin to disseminate propaganda and misinformation about Ukraine, which Russia invaded over two years ago.

What actions are being taken by the US Justice Department?

Attorney General Merrick Garland outlined the steps taken by the Justice Department. These include indicting two Russian employees of RT, Russia's state-owned broadcaster, for using a Tennessee-based company to distribute content, as well as dismantling a Russian disinformation campaign known as Doppelganger.

The Treasury Department imposed sanctions on ANO Dialog, a Russian nonprofit tied to the Doppelganger campaign, along with sanctions against RT’s Editor-in-Chief Margarita S Simonyan and her deputies, the report added.

In addition, the State Department has offered a $10 million reward for information related to foreign election interference, specifically seeking information on a group identified as RaHDit or Russian Angry Hackers Did It.

The State Department also announced that five Kremlin-backed news organisations, including RT, Ruptly, and Sputnik, would be designated as foreign government entities, limiting visa issuance for employees of Russian-supported media outlets, NYT reported.

US officials have ramped up warnings regarding Russian efforts to influence elections. Intelligence agencies assess that the Kremlin favours former President Donald Trump over Vice President Kamala Harris in the upcoming election, viewing Trump as less supportive of US assistance to Ukraine.

The Justice Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) are also investigating a few Americans suspected of deliberately spreading Kremlin narratives. However, officials have stressed that they are not targeting free speech; only those who knowingly propagate false information on behalf of the Kremlin are being scrutinised.

Action against Russian influence this year

The US government has already acted against Russian entities believed to be attempting to interfere in American politics, the report said. In March, the Treasury Department imposed sanctions on a Russian group involved in creating fake news sites, and in July, it seized two internet domains linked to RT and Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB), which succeeded the Soviet KGB.

Building on this, the Justice Department announced it had seized 32 more domains used for covertly disseminating Russian propaganda. According to government filings, the Doppelgänger operation is overseen by Sergei Kiriyenko, a former prime minister who now serves as a deputy chief of staff to President Vladimir Putin.

Past incidents of Russian interference in US elections

In 2016, US intelligence was caught off-guard by Russian interference in favour of Trump and was slow to alert the public. Since then, US agencies have been more proactive in calling out interference by Russia, China, and Iran in American elections.

This year's efforts to combat election interference have proven more challenging, as some Americans, particularly Trump's supporters, view claims of Russian disinformation as attacks on their beliefs.

Officials cited by NYT also pointed out that RT has been spreading disinformation through bots and other methods, and they are closely examining how Russian intelligence agencies influence elections.