US authorities warn of the risk of foreign interference during the midterms elections on November 8. On Telegram and Twitter, many Russian accounts call for being “active” on the networks by promoting propaganda.
“We interfered, we do and we will continue to do so. Carefully, precisely, surgically, in our own way. The statement by Yevgeny Prigojine, Putin’s man of influence, published on November 7 on VKontakt, a Russian social network, went around the world. The boss of the Wagner mercenary group, as well as the Internet Research Agency, a troll farm active on social networks, warns the United States for the midterm elections this 8 november. Americans are called to vote for their congressional representatives on Tuesday and these threats raise the specter of Russian influence.
To tell the truth, Moscow no longer really hides its intentions. The U.S. Department of State responded that “ this bold confession appears to be just a manifestation of the impunity enjoyed by crooks and cronies under President Putin and the Kremlin. As you know, we have sanctioned this individual, Yevgeny Prigozhin, since 2018 for his interference in our electoral processes and institutions.”
On the first Russian TV channel, presenters and guests say they are eager to see the landing Republican MPs opposed to aid to Ukraine. The hope of a reversal of American diplomacy was amplified with the takeover of Twitter by Elon Musk and his call to vote for the Republican Party. On Telegram, Anton Gorelkin, Russian MP, calls on Twitter to return to Russia, provided that the social network removes content banned in the country and reactivates the accounts of Kremlin influence media.
The call of hackers to influence the elections
More worrying: the return of accounts Russian hacktivists on Twitter, directly linked to the takeover of the platform by Elon Musk. The group “cyber army of Russia” declares on November 7 : “ Any self-respecting Russian hacker group should interfere in the US elections.” The computer damage of these hacktivists is generally less, but their activity on social networks during an election period can weigh on opinions. The US cybersecurity agency has also warned its citizens that attempts at foreign influence will take place during the election period.
The New York Times noted that fake news accounts – affiliated with Russia according to specialists – were reactivated in August on the conservative social networks Gab and Parler. It would seem that trolls would have a slightly harder time proliferating on other platforms, Meta had deleted 1,000 Russian troll accounts on Instagram this summer.
Physical acts could also be organized. In July, the United States Department of Justice accused Alexander Ionov of contacting political groups in Florida and California for the purpose of organizing coordinated protests.
The invasion launched by Vladimir Putin turns against him with successive military failures and an economic crisis which is beginning to weigh on Russian industry. The Kremlin hopes to slow down the massive supply of American weapons by pushing citizens to vote for the Republican Party, which is less inclined to help Ukraine.
In 2016, the disclosure of Hillary Clinton’s campaign emails as well as waves of disinformation on Facebook and Twitter weighed heavily on the presidential elections. Moscow wants to reiterate and activates its propaganda organs at a time when hundreds of Russian soldiers are falling daily on the front: more than 90,000 dead or disabled in October, according to the investigative media Meduza.
