The influence of Russian online campaigns on the preparations for the US elections is growing

Microsoft said on Wednesday that the past 45 days have seen an increase in Russian online campaigns to gain influence over the upcoming US presidential election.

Russia-linked accounts spread divisive content aimed at American audiences. In particular, criticism of American support addressed to Ukraine is growing. This is stated in a report from researchers working at Microsoft. informs Reuters.

The Russian Embassy in Washington did not respond to requests for comment. Last month, the Kremlin said it would not interfere in the November US elections. He also rejected US accusations that he organized campaigns to influence the 2016 and 2020 US presidential elections.

According to the report’s authors, Russian activity is not as intense as during previous elections, but it may intensify in the coming months.

“Communications about Ukraine – across traditional media and social media – have gained momentum over the past two months through a combination of covert and overt campaigns spanning at least 70 Russia-related activity groups that we monitor,” Microsoft said.

The most visible of these Russian campaigns involves the Russian presidential administration. Another notable company aims to post misinformation online in multiple languages. The reports usually begin with an alleged whistleblower or citizen journalist posting content on a video channel. This content is then distributed to a network of websites that includes DC Weekly, Miami Chronical and The Intel Drop.

Ultimately, after a story has circulated online for days or weeks, American audiences repeat and repost the misinformation, perhaps without even knowing its original source, Microsoft said.

There has been a noticeable increase in hacking activity from a Russian Microsoft group called Star Blizzard or Cold River. The result of this activity is attacks on Western think tanks.

Malicious use of artificial intelligence by foreign competitors targeting US elections is a key concern. But Microsoft said digital forgeries are more common than deepfakes. Audio manipulation has a greater impact than video manipulation.

Rarely has a nation-state’s use of artificial intelligence-enabled generative content reached such widespread reach on social media, Microsoft says. They predict that the simplest manipulations, rather than the most complex uses of AI, are likely to have the greatest impact.