DISINFO: Enough data exists to prove US interference in Russian Duma election
SUMMARY
There is enough data to prove that US special services and IT companies are interfering in Russia’s upcoming parliamentary elections.
RESPONSE
This is a recurring disinformation narrative from pro-Kremlin outlets alleging that the United States is interfering in the upcoming parliamentary elections in the Russian Federation, especially with the help of the so-called “Smart Voting”.
There is no evidence to prove such interference. Pro-Kremlin outlets claim that behind this interference is Viktor Rubanov, a former director of the Anti-Corruption Foundation, who developed iPhone software for Smart Voting. It is a technology used by the team of Russian opposition activist Alexei Navalny with the aim of advancing opposition candidates in regional and federal elections. The goal of Smart Voting is to consolidate the votes of those who oppose United Russia. Russian media say that Rubanov lives in San Francisco and works for Momentus Space Inc., a company related to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) with several top officials allegedly having links to the Pentagon.
The fact that Rubanov works for a company which has occasionally been a contractor for NASA does not prove the allegations put forward by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs that the US is interfering in the voting process. The Smart Voting technology only shows which candidates are not related to United Russia, but it is the voters themselves who make the final choice.
Russian elections are not considered free and honest. A lot of opposition candidates have been barred from participating in them. The European Union has expressed its concern about the situation in Russia ahead of the upcoming parliamentary elections on 17-19 September.
Read more disinformation narratives alleging that the West is interfering in Russian elections.