WASHINGTON – U.S. intelligence officials announced on Monday that Russia is intensifying its efforts to meddle in the upcoming elections, particularly aiming to discredit Vice President Kamala Harris in favor of Donald Trump.

The Kremlin is not only producing new videos but also manipulating existing footage, often utilizing artificial intelligence, to harm Harris’ reputation and turn her supporters against her as the race against Trump heats up, just 43 days before the election.

One notable example mentioned during a briefing by intelligence officials is a widely shared video from a fake news site inaccurately alleging that Harris caused a 13-year-old girl to be paralyzed in a hit-and-run incident.

Officials tracking foreign misinformation campaigns believe Russia is employing various tactics to target Harris while promoting Trump, according to a source from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI).

The officials also published an “Election Security Update” report to inform the public of their latest findings.

Much of Russia’s current strategy involves altering videos and promoting them across social media, especially on controversial issues like immigration, which they believe could harm Harris’ voter support and aid Trump’s return to office. U.S. intelligence had earlier identified that Russian President Vladimir Putin was behind similar tactics in the 2016 and 2020 elections.

The intelligence officials did not provide specifics regarding the operations targeting Harris other than the fabricated hit-and-run video.

Neither campaign for Trump or Harris has responded to requests for comments.

The ODNI official noted that some altered videos being circulated by Russian operators aim to present Harris in a negative light compared to Trump, both personally and politically.

This official, along with others who briefed the press, did so anonymously to share current intelligence regarding foreign interference by Russia, Iran, and China in the presidential elections — affecting both national and local races.

Another significant point made by the officials is that foreign adversaries, particularly Russia, are increasingly leveraging artificial intelligence in their disinformation tactics. However, this technology is primarily enhancing their existing strategies rather than creating entirely new approaches to information manipulation.

According to officials, China has largely refrained from influencing the presidential race, and Iran continues to work against Trump in alignment with prior intelligence reports.

Fake video featuring a disabled individual

The fabricated video concerning Harris, featuring a young girl in a wheelchair declaring herself a hit-and-run victim, appeared in early September on a fake website pretending to be a local San Francisco news channel.

Last week, Microsoft’s security team reported that Russia was responsible for the deceptive advertisement. The ODNI official stated on Monday that their assessment was independent of Microsoft’s findings.

In its report dated September 17, Microsoft’s Threat Analysis Center revealed that the misleading article was produced by a Kremlin-affiliated group known as Storm-1516, as part of a coordinated effort involving three Russian influence operations targeting Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.

The article included a video featuring a hired actress discussing the fabricated hit-and-run, according to Microsoft. The website was created on August 20 and was taken down after being disproven.

Outrageous stories garner millions of views

U.S. intelligence officers stated they can’t measure the reach or impact of these videos.

However, Microsoft has suggested that these videos have attracted significant attention.

It reported that Russia-affiliated operations known as Storm-1516 and Storm-1679 initially had difficulty adjusting their strategies following President Biden’s withdrawal from the 2024 race.

In late August, though, they began to achieve success by creating content that accused Vice President Harris and Governor Walz of engaging in absurd fake conspiracy theories.

Throughout late August and early September, Microsoft stated, Storm-1516 produced and distributed two false videos aimed at undermining Harris and igniting controversy about her campaign.

The initial video depicted an alleged assault by supposed Harris supporters against someone at a Trump rally, which reportedly garnered millions of views and was designed to “escalate political tensions.”

“This promotes division through fueling racial and political discord.”

Microsoft revealed that the second video was a hit-and-run clip created by Storm-1516, which then disguised the video by using a website for a fictitious television station it had just established a few days earlier.

In early September, the other Russian group mentioned by Microsoft, Storm-1679, shifted its focus to implement influence operations centered around Harris, after spending much of its efforts producing divisive content related to France and the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

One of the initial videos from this group about Harris propagated conspiracy theories and inaccurate claims about her policies, amassing over 100,000 views on X within just four hours of being published on Telegram.

“Storm-1516 specializes in capturing attention with its sensational fake videos and scandalous assertions, while Storm-1679 is expected to increase its focus on the Harris-Walz campaign as Election Day approaches,” Microsoft stated.