Russia-linked influence campaign shifts focus to US presidential election: report

A Russia-aligned influence operation that peddles in fake news and fact-checking content has been dedicating “significant resources” aimed at the U.S. presidential election and particularly Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign, according to new research.

Operation Overload, also referred to as Matryoshka and Storm-1679, has been observed in recent months sharing and amplifying videos across social media that spoof major news outlets to spread election-related disinformation, according to a report published Wednesday by Recorded Future.

The findings come one day after federal intelligence officials warned that Russia and other adversaries will intensify their influence efforts in the two-week run-up to the election. Russia, for example, was responsible for an attack video that widely circulated on social media last week purporting to show a former student of vice presidential nominee Tim Walz.

Operation Overload had previously focused on spreading anti-Ukraine propaganda and content about the Paris Olympic Games. Microsoft first reported last month that the group was behind several fictitious videos targeting the Harris campaign.

Recorded Future researchers warned about the group ramping up its activities to promote existing false Harris narratives, but said it is also targeting former President Donald Trump, albeit to a lesser extent. Like previous Russian influence operations, the campaign aims to undermine trust in the democratic process instead of actually tipping the scales in favor of a particular candidate.

For example, in a video shared by a now-suspended X account, a BBC impersonation falsely claimed that Trump had received an endorsement from Norwegian neo-Nazi Anders Behring Breivik, the researchers found. In another video shared on Telegram, a Fox News impersonation falsely suggested that the Trump campaign pressured Kentucky Fried Chicken’s parent company to file a fictitious lawsuit against Harris.

Other content shared by now-suspended X accounts impersonated Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and vice presidential candidate JD Vance, according to the Recorded Future researchers. The Record is an editorially independent unit of Recorded Future.

Much of the content spread by Operation Overload uses fake expert testimonials, allegedly eyewitness content that’s difficult to verify and artificial intelligence-generated voiceovers to produce professional-quality content. It also frequently recycles photo and video materials from publicly available sources, and impersonates legitimate news sources.

“Operation Overload’s media impersonation and production likely require substantial resources and individuals with domain expertise, particularly those skilled in public relations, marketing, programming, and content creation,” the report said. “The operation also requires individuals tasked with monitoring US and international news to identify potential themes for content creation, as well as individuals tasked with coordinating and carrying out the operation’s email and automated social media campaigns.”

Given the resources and expertise involved, along with Operation Overload’s strategic alignment with Kremlin interests, the researchers said the group likely has an ongoing relationship with Russian government organizations.

Additionally, email campaigns and social media spam linked to the group suggests that its targeted audience might not be general American voters. Instead, its priority appears to be media organizations themselves.

“By overwhelming their investigative resources, the operation aims to prevent them from debunking Russian disinformation and hopes these organizations will inadvertently report on its content, thereby injecting malign narratives into mainstream political discourse via trusted parties,” the researchers said.