DISINFO: Claims of “Russian interference” in US midterm election are preparing the ground to blame Moscow for an eventual Democrat defeat

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative portraying accusations of Russian interference in the US political process - despite the existence of massive evidence proving this meddling - as preposterous and concocted by top members of the Democratic Party unable to accept electoral losses. This is a reaction to an article by The New York Times, in which researchers warned of the reactivation of Russian bots for an influence campaign ahead of the mid-term election on 08 Tuesday 2022.

Contrary to suggestions made in this disinformation story, these researchers are not anonymous, but clearly identified by name and company, including well-reputed firms such as Providence Consulting Group, Recorded Future, Graphika and Mandiant. Besides, in the same day that this disinformation story appeared, Russian businessman Yevgeni Prigozhin -owner of the infamous Internet Research Agency, one of the main actors behind electoral interference in the US and other countries- directly contradicted these denials and boasted about this meddling, saying: "We have interfered [in U.S. elections], we are interfering and we will continue to interfere. Carefully, accurately, surgically and in our own way, as we know how to do."

Russia’s interference in electoral processes in the US has been proven beyond any doubt by successive official and journalistic investigations. The probe led by US Special Counsel Robert Mueller presented plentiful evidence of it, including testimonies and physical proof, as well as of cooperation in the process from members of Donald Trump's team and other US citizens. The latter led to the criminal indictment of 34 people, 26 of them Russian citizens or entities including the infamous Internet Research Agency. The 5-volume report of the US Senate Intelligence Committee widened the scope of the investigation and provided additional evidence of Russia’s meddling in the electoral process in 2016. Many other findings by The New York Times and The Washington Post, for which they received the Pulitzer Prize in 2018, were later backed by the evidence presented in court, further investigations or confessions of those involved.

See other examples of similar disinformation narratives, such as claims that US maintains sanctions on Russia even though accusations of interference proved to be unfounded, that Russiagate was a fraud orchestrated by the West, that the Mueller report is another proof of how Russia is always falsely accused, or that the US never presented evidence of Russia’s involvement in election interference or cyberattacks.