U.S. Takes Measures Against Russian Attempts to Influence 2024 Elections
TL/DR –
The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has designated ten individuals and two entities as part of an effort to counter Moscow’s alleged attempts to influence the 2024 U.S. presidential election. The Russian state-sponsored actors are accused of utilizing generative artificial intelligence (AI) deep fakes and disinformation to undermine U.S. election processes and institutions, with executives at Russia’s state-funded news media outlet supposedly spearheading the influence campaign. The designations are part of a broader U.S. government response encompassing law enforcement actions from the Department of Justice and Department of State, imposing visa restrictions, and offering a substantial reward for information about foreign interference in U.S. elections.
US Action Against Moscow’s Influence on the U.S. 2024 Election
In a move to protect US election processes, the Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has designated 10 individuals and two entities believed to be instrumental in Moscow’s attempts to influence the 2024 Presidential Election, including tools like AI deep fakes and disinformation. This is the latest action in the U.S. government’s ongoing efforts to uphold public trust in democratic institutions.
Among these efforts include the designation of Rossiya Segodnya media group and its subsidiaries as Foreign Missions, imposing visa restrictions, and offering a $10 million reward for information on foreign interference in US elections.
Russian Foreign Malign Influence Operations
Using a mix of covert foreign malign influence campaigns and illicit cyber activities, the Kremlin is determined to undermine national security and foreign policy interests of the U.S. and its global allies. A network of Russian proxy websites, fake online personas, and front organizations have been created to hide its involvement.
Prior OFAC actions have addressed Russia’s global malign influence campaigns, includingKremlin-directed malign influence efforts andinterference in U.S. elections among others.
RT and RaHDit’s Influence Operations
RT, previously known as Russia Today, and the pro-Kremlin hacktivist group RaHDit, have been implicated in Moscow’s strategies to sway the U.S. election. Various employees have been found to be actively involved in efforts to recruit American influencers and carry out activities on behalf of the Russian government. These individuals include Margarita Simonovna Simonyan, Elizaveta Yuryevna Brodskaia, Anton Sergeyvich Anisimov, Andrey Vladimirovich Kiyashko, Konstantin Kalashnikov, Elena Mikhaylovna Afanasyeva, Aleksey Alekseyevich Garashchenko, Anastasia Igorevna Yermoshkina, and Aleksandr Vitalyevich Nezhentsev.
Doppelgänger and RRN Russian Malign Influence Operations
ANO Dialog and its subsidiary organization, ANO Dialog Regions, have been found to use AI technology in online Russian disinformation against election campaigns. ANO Dialog is linked to Doppelgänger, a Russia-linked influence operation identified in 2022. These organizations, under the leadership of Vladimir Grigoryevich Tabak, have been responsible for creating fake online posts on popular social media accounts to stir emotional responses from audiences. They were also found to have targeted US, UK, and other public figures for deepfake projects.
As a result of these findings, the designated individuals’ and entities’ properties within U.S. control are now blocked. Financial institutions or other parties transacting with the sanctioned persons may also face sanctions or enforcement actions. To learn more about these sanctions, readOFAC’s Frequently Asked Question 897 and information on how to request removal from an OFAC sanctions list. Visit HERE to find more about the individuals and entities designated today.
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