Used to influence US elections and reduce support for Ukraine: 32 domains blocked in the US for spreading Russian propaganda

The U.S. Department of Justice has blocked 32 Internet domains used by the Russian government to influence public opinion of American citizens. According to the statement of the US Department of Justice, the domains were used by the ANO MC Dialogue, the Structura group of companies and the Social Design Agency (SDA), UNN reports.

According to the US Department of Justice, the Russian companies Social Design Agency (SDA), Structura National Technology (Structura) and ANO Dialog, which operate under the direction and control of the Russian Presidential Administration, in particular, the First Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration Sergey Kiriyenko, used these domains, among other things, to "covertly disseminate Russian pro-government propaganda to reduce the goals of international support for Ukraine, strengthen pro-Russian policies and interests, and influence voters in elections in the United States and other countries, including the U.S. presidential election in 2024.

"The Department of Justice is seizing 32 Internet domains that the Russian government and Russian government-sponsored entities used to engage in a covert campaign to interfere with and influence the outcome of our nation's elections," said U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland.

"According to our court documents, President Vladimir Putin's inner circle, including Sergei Kiriyenko, instructed Russian public relations companies to promote disinformation and state-sponsored narratives as part of a campaign to influence the 2024 U.S. presidential election. An internal planning document created by the Kremlin indicates that the goal of the campaign is to secure a better election result for Russia. The sites we are taking down today were filled with Russian government propaganda that was created by the Kremlin to reduce international support for Ukraine, strengthen pro-Russian policies and interests, and influence voters in the United States and elsewhere. Our actions today make it clear that the Department of Justice will aggressively confront and stop attempts by the Russian government or any other malicious actor to interfere in our elections and undermine our democracy.

"...Russia remains the predominant foreign threat to our elections," said Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco. "At Putin's direction, Russian companies SDA, Structura, and ANO Dialog used cybersquatting, fabricated influencers, and fake profiles to covertly promote false narratives created by AI on social media. These narratives targeted specific American demographics and regions in a calculated attempt to undermine our elections. Our republic depends on elections that are free from foreign interference, and we will not stop in our efforts to expose foreign malign influence operations and defend our democracy without fear or favor.

"Today's announcement reveals the extent of the Russian government's influence operations and their reliance on advanced AI to spread disinformation," said FBI Director Christopher Wray. "Companies working at the behest of the Russian government created websites to trick Americans into unwittingly consuming propaganda. By seizing these websites, the FBI is making it clear to the world what they are - Russia's attempts to interfere in our elections and influence our society. The FBI will continue to work with our partners to expose and stop these covert influence campaigns.

Add

The investigation is being conducted by the FBI's Philadelphia office. The agency recognized that the domains were part of a disinformation campaign dubbed Operation Doppelganger.

The domains themselves were either their own media brands or created on the principle of cybersquatting (imitation of another person's or company's website). To attract the audience, paid advertising on social networks or the publication of links to domains through accounts created on behalf of US citizens, as well as PR with "influential people around the world" were used. It is assumed that advanced AI technologies were also used to disseminate information.