(NewsNation) — The Justice Department on Wednesday announced it seized 32 web domains Russia used for its covert campaigns, with Biden administration officials condemning the country’s alleged efforts to influence the 2024 U.S. election.
Among those targeted were two employees of RT, formerly known as Russia Today, a state media outlet with content available in English. They were charged with violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act, NewsNation partner The Hill reports. An indictment accuses the two of partnering with a conservative-leaning media company with the aim of sowing division in the United States.
Another Russian operation, The Hill wrote, involved creating sites with slightly different web addresses mimicking U.S. news outlets.
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“One thing that strikes me is the way the Russians adapt their influence and information operation tactics to exploit whatever opportunities are presented,” John Hardie, deputy director of the Russia Program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said on “NewsNation Now” Thursday.
Russian commentators on Thursday mocked the U.S. officials’ allegations, with Margarita Simonyan, head of RT, saying, “They called from 2016 and want all their tired cliches back” on social media.
During the 2016 election, Russia was alleged to have hacked the Hillary Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee, among other activities.
“This year we see this new scheme, and so you see that the tactics vary as opportunities present themselves but ultimately, of course (they are) for the same objective of dividing Americans and pushing Russian interests, and especially undermining U.S. support for Ukraine,” Hardie said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
