The social media site X has suspended some accounts that the federal government and researchers have identified as part of the Kremlin's attempt to influence the US election Tuesday.
X suspended one of the accounts last week after it spread a video that falsely alleged noncitizens are voting in large numbers in Georgia, an idea former President Donald Trump and the GOP have embraced in the run-up to the election.
Another account spread a video of a purported whistleblower claiming that Arizona’s Democratic leaders were involved in election fraud. A video from a third account linked to Russia purported to show mail-in ballots being destroyed in Pennsylvania. Two of the three videos circulated widely on X and are still hosted by other accounts — even as the Russia-affiliated accounts have been taken down.
A fourth account that X suspended belonged to a registered Russian agent living in Australia. CNN reported that the person behind that account paid an American influencer to post multiple videos, including the one making false allegations of election fraud.
Some of the videos the accounts posted carry signs from a Russian influence operation that researchers call “Storm-1516.” The operation is known for producing staged videos that it promotes through online influencers and websites pretending to be news outlets.
The U.S. government issued a statement Monday warning of Russian influence operation activities. The statement said actors tied to Russia are spreading falsehoods “to undermine the legitimacy of the election, instill fear in voters regarding the election process, and suggest Americans are using violence against each other due to political preferences”.
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