Moscow's Nov. 5 Aim: Clog Voter Lines, Incite Violence Around Polling Stations

Russian covert influencers' goal is to create confusion, spur violence as vote counting drags out, intel reports say

As the U.S. election nears, U.S. intelligence and law enforcement agencies are ramping up warnings about Russia’s increasingly sophisticated disinformation operations, which now include the use of AI-generated, fake videos. Among the most concerning operations is "Storm-1516," a Russian disinformation network seen as the successor to the notorious Internet Research Agency (IRA), which famously interfered in the 2016 election. Recent analysis reveals that Storm-1516—a network producing staged videos and deepfakes that echo Kremlin narratives—is closely connected to another organization, Russian Foundation to Battle Injustice (R-FBI), founded by the late Russian oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin. And make no mistake: IRA, Storm-1516, and the Russian Foundation to Battle Injustice (R-FBI) are fronts for Russia's intelligence services. Unlike the IRA, Storm-1516 employs a more advanced strategy, leveraging fake news outlets and influential social media figures to spread divisive content masked as legitimate news. In recent months, the operation has focused on inflammatory content targeting Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate Tim Walz, with the aim of propping up Donald Trump. The question remains, however: could Russia be planning something more dangerous for Election Day and beyond?