According to new research, Russia has been amplifying and spreading false and misleading claims online about the recent hurricanes in the United States and the federal government's response as part of a broader effort to manipulate political discourse ahead of the presidential elections.
Intelligence officials and private technology companies report that Russian activity has significantly increased in an attempt to portray the United States as corrupt, violent, and unjust. By exploiting real concerns about disaster recovery, Russian disinformation agencies can undermine trust in the U.S. government and even among the domestic population.
"These are not situations created by foreign actors," emphasized Melanie Smith, research director at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue. The Russian invasion of Ukraine appears to be the main motivation for spreading lies about the response to the hurricanes.
Content disseminated by Russian state media, social networks, and websites criticized the federal government's response to hurricanes Helene and Milton, seeking to portray U.S. authorities as incompetent and corrupt. If Russia succeeds in influencing enough Americans to oppose U.S. support for Ukraine, it could pave the way for Moscow's interests.
The disinformation mainly targeted the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Democratic Biden and Harris administration. English-language posts aimed at American audiences, as well as propaganda in Russian for domestic consumers, are part of the Russian strategy.
Posts were identified featuring fake images created with artificial intelligence, such as a photograph showing scenes of flooding at Disney World that never occurred. The Kremlin's approach of exploiting legitimate debates and controversial issues in the United States has remained consistent over time.
