DISINFO: Russia did not interfere in neither 2016, nor 2020 US Presidential Elections
SUMMARY
A declassified US intelligence report notes that Russia was trying to thwart Joe Biden’s victory and help Donald Trump's re-election, as well as, "sow discord" in American society. Additionally, Iran, Hezbollah and Cuba are named among those who presumably wanted to influence the vote. The document also announced new sanctions against Russia.
Russia did not interfere in previous elections and did not interfere in the 2020 elections mentioned in this report. Russia has nothing to do with any campaigns against any of the candidates. In this regard, Russia considers this report to be incorrect. It is absolutely baseless and unsubstantiated. The report can be regarded as a reason to put the issue of new sanctions on the agenda.
RESPONSE
This is a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation denying Russian interference in the 2016, as well as, in the 2020 US presidential elections, consistent with the narrative that the sanctions on Russia are groundless and illegal.
Contrary to the claims, available evidence suggests that Russian meddling in the 2016 US presidential poll - which was specifically aimed at damaging Clinton's campaign and aid her opponent - did affect the vote, particularly in three critical swing states where Trump's victory margins were the thinnest. In the US, Russian-linked posts reached 126 million Facebook users, whilst 29 million saw the content "directly".
The US Justice Department has charged 12 Russian intelligence officers with hacking Democratic officials in the 2016 US elections. Previously, 13 Russian citizens as well as the Internet Research Agency, Concord Management and Concord Catering had been charged with interfering with the US political system.
Robert Mueller's investigation also concluded that Russia interfered in the 2016 election. Mueller's report determined that there were "two main Russian efforts to influence the 2016 election". The first involved attempts by the Internet Research Agency to conduct disinformation and social media operations in the US to sow social discord, with the aim of interfering with the election. The second involved the Russian government's efforts to conduct computer hacking operations designed to gather and disseminate information to influence the election.
Regarding the 2020 US presidential election, on 10 March 2021, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (NIC) released the declassified Intelligence Community assessment of foreign threats to the 2020 U.S. federal elections: the report indicates that “Russian state and proxy actors who all serve the Kremlin’s interests worked to affect U.S. public perceptions". It refers mainly to disinformation operations aimed at “denigrating President Biden’s candidacy and the Democratic Party, supporting former President Trump, undermining public confidence in the electoral process, and exacerbating sociopolitical divisions in the US”.
Previously, between September and October 2019, Facebook and Instagram removed 75,000 posts linked to accounts that “appear to be linked to the Russian troll agency, the Internet Research Agency (IRA)”, which, according to the analysis of experts and Facebook moderation, “tried to sow division by targeting both the left and right with posts to foment outrage, fear, and hostility. Much of their activity seemed designed to discourage certain people from voting”.