Yesterday, the U.S. government announced a series of actions designed to push back on Russian influence campaigns ahead of the November elections. The effort targets a number of Russian state-owned news outlets—including RT, Ruptly and Sputnik—with sanctions, indictments and visa restrictions, as well as other organizations that the U.S. says are aiding the Kremlin in spreading propaganda and disinformation in the United States. (New York Times)
Our Take
The efforts announced yesterday are just the latest by a Western country to try and respond to Russian influence campaigns, which are both active and wide-reaching. For decades, Moscow has spread propaganda and disinformation through its state-run news outlets, as well as through social media bots and paid content, to muddy the information ecosystem in the West.
The run-up to the 2016 U.S. election became a turning point, with U.S. intelligence agencies late to realize the extent of Russia’s attempts to influence the vote in favor of Donald Trump. Since then, the U.S. as well as numerous European states—particularly France—have been more aggressive in trying to counter Moscow’s meddling, a welcome shift after getting caught flat-footed.