𝗥𝗨𝗦𝗦𝗜𝗔 𝗣𝗨𝗠𝗣𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗠𝗜𝗟𝗟𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦 𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗢 𝗨.𝗦. 𝗦𝗢𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗟 𝗠𝗘𝗗𝗜𝗔 𝗧𝗢 𝗚𝗘𝗧 𝗗𝗢𝗡𝗔𝗟𝗗 𝗧𝗥𝗨𝗠𝗣 𝗘𝗟𝗘𝗖𝗧𝗘𝗗 𝗜𝗡 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰!!!

Just like in 2016, Russia is deeply committed to getting Donald Trump elected in 2024.

According to USA Today, Russia is being joined by Iran in meddling in U.S. elections, although the two countries seem to have differing goals:

“Russia wants Trump. Iran doesn’t. Those are clear,” security analyst and former government cyber-security official Mike Hamilton told USA TODAY.

The contours of those efforts are still unfolding as U.S. intelligence works to uncover and disrupt the myriad ways in which Moscow and Tehran are targeting the U.S. electorate.

Most of that covert effort involves swaying potential voters through deep fakes, bogus influencers and other propaganda on social media as they have in past election cycles."   

CBS News also reports:

"An indictment unsealed in the Southern District of New York charged Kostiantyn Kalashnikov and Elena Afanasyeva, both based in Moscow, with conspiracy to launder money and conspiracy to violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act. The indictment came as the Justice Department unveiled sprawling allegations accusing the Russian government of meddling in the 2024 U.S. elections.

The two defendants worked for RT, a media outlet formerly known as Russia Today that is funded and controlled by the Russian government, the indictment said.

Federal prosecutors said RT oversaw a series of "covert projects" that included funneling $10 million through a series of shell entities to a Tennessee-based company launched in 2023 that publishes videos on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and X, formerly known as Twitter."

According to Forbes, the U.S. has already slapped Russia with sanctions for the meddling:

"The Biden administration accused Russia on Wednesday of attempting to influence the upcoming presidential election, including through an alleged disinformation campaign involving state-run media outlets, years after American officials concluded Russia tried to sway the 2016 and 2020 elections.

Key Facts

The Justice Department announced Wednesday it seized 32 internet domains allegedly backed by the Russian government and Russian state-run media used in a disinformation campaign named “Doppelganger,” which worked to influence voters in the U.S. and other nations.

The domains were controlled by Russian firms Social Design Agency, Structura National Technology and ANO Dialog to spread Kremlin propaganda, among other things, the DOJ alleges.

ANO Dialog and RT, formerly known as Russia Today, were sanctioned by the Treasury Department for an alleged disinformation campaign for the Kremlin intended to influence an American audience.

Treasury Department officials claim RT started recruiting American influencers earlier this year to support its disinformation campaign, and used a fake company to disguise any ties or involvement with the Russian government.

All U.S.-based properties owned by ANO Dialog or RT will be seized and any transaction involving either company and American citizens will be blocked as part of the sanctions, the Treasury Department said."

Russian President Vladimir Putin

Vladimir Putin has responded by joking that Russia actually prefers Kamala Harris:  "She laughs so expressively and infectiously that it means that everything is fine with her."

Certainly, that's a bit of sarcastic disinformation, but we'd expect no less from Vlad.