A growing number of US adversaries, led by Russia, seek to influence the 2024 presidential election with the help of hired commercial firms and AI use.
Points of attention
- Officials reinforce the seriousness of the threat posed by Russia in the election cycle by exploiting social divisions in the United States.
- Iran and China also intend to interfere in the 2024 election, seeing it as an opportunity to achieve their strategic goals.
- Ukraine's leadership is rushing to get more military aid to deter Russian attacks regardless of the outcome of the US election.
How Russia will try to interfere in the US elections
According to officials from the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence, who spoke on condition of anonymity, Russia poses the most severe threat this election cycle.
Interlocutors of the publication say that Moscow probably views the elections as an opportunity to achieve its broader goals — to reduce support for Ukraine's military efforts, to undermine trust in democratic institutions and in the United States in general.
The officials added that the intelligence community expects Russia to take advantage of social divisions in the U.S., including protests on college campuses.
In the 2024 elections, Iran intends to act as an agent of chaos, sowing internal strife and even promoting violence, sources said.
At the same time, officials said that China is taking a more cautious approach and is aware of the potential backlash that could accompany election interference.
Launched in September 2022, ODNI's Center on Foreign Malicious Influence will seek to counter these threats through media analysis.
Can Trump end support for Ukraine?
The head of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense, Kyrylo Budanov, does not consider Donald Trump's possible return to the post of president in the United States to be a problem for Ukraine. According to him, the politician cannot be called a supporter of Russia.
The head of military intelligence made clear Ukraine's desperate need for more ammunition and weapons to deter Russian attacks but dismissed the risk that the US would leave Ukraine alone with Russia if Trump wins the election.
We are still waiting for a positive decision on US aid. To say that Trump and the Republican Party are supporters of the Russian Federation is complete nonsense, he added.
