Pro-Kremlin websites and social media accounts are spreading the false narrative that Ukraine orchestrated an assassination attempt on Donald Trump. This comes as the U.S. Senate interrogates tech industry leaders about efforts by Russia and other U.S. adversaries to influence presidential elections, reports The Washington Post.
Shortly after Ryan Wesley Routh was identified as the suspect who allegedly pointed a gun towards Trump’s location while he was golfing in Florida last weekend, Russian state media and officials began claiming that the 58-year-old American was an agent working for Kyiv. Routh’s social media posts suggest he is a staunch supporter of Ukraine, having traveled to Kyiv and attempted to join the war effort, although Ukrainian officials have denied any connection between Routh and their government or military.
These claims from Russia were quickly picked up by U.S. commentators, according to a NewsGuard analysis. Influencer Tim Pool called for an investigation to verify if Ukraine was involved in the apparent assassination attempt on Trump. In a YouTube video, Pool stated that it would be “ridiculous, partisan, and stupid” to dismiss Ukraine’s efforts to undermine Trump.
“The main motivation behind this narrative is to undermine Western support for Ukraine, a common theme in Russian messaging,” said McKenzie Sadeghi, editor at NewsGuard.
With less than 50 days until the presidential elections, U.S. officials and tech companies are racing to counter increasingly intense and sophisticated efforts by the Kremlin to use social media to influence the vote. Microsoft released new research showing that Russia is making greater efforts to undermine the company Harris-Waltz, including releasing a video falsely accusing Vice President Kamala Harris of causing a car accident that left a girl paralyzed.
Harris and Trump have different stances on the Ukraine war. Harris has pledged to continue supporting Kyiv if she wins the presidential election but has not specified how she will do so. Trump has said he will “resolve” the Ukraine war before his inauguration, raising concerns that he might pressure Ukraine to cede territory to Russia.
American Influencer Paid $100,000 Per Video to Spread Moscow-Backed Information
The U.S. Department of Justice has accused two Russian media executives of being involved in a scheme to transfer $10 million to Tenet Media, a company that produced social media videos echoing Russian propaganda. These videos garnered 16 million views on YouTube. Pool signed a contract with Tenet, which paid him $100,000 for each episode of his weekly show. Unfounded rumors circulated in the Russian press about Routh’s ties to Ukraine seem to have originated from a post on X (formerly Twitter) by former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. Medvedev wrote that he wonders what would happen if it turned out that Routh “was paid by the neo-Nazi regime in Kyiv for this assassination attempt.” His post generated 750,000 views.
Other websites and social media accounts reiterated and spread Medvedev’s statement. The pro-Russian BRICS News account claimed that Medvedev said Routh was “acting under Ukraine’s command.” U.S. authorities recently blocked 32 websites used by Russia’s influence campaign, nicknamed “Doppelganger.”
These sites use artificial intelligence to mimic U.S. media outlets like The Washington Post to promote false rumors. Meta announced on Monday that it would ban Russian state media from Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.
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