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WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States has launched a cyber-campaign to crack down on misinformation before the parliamentary elections on Nov. 6, the New York Times reported on Tuesday as part of a first-ever operation. to protect the American elections.
The Times, quoting anonymous defense officials informed of the operation, said that the US Cyber Command, division of the Army's cyber warfare, was using direct messages to target the individuals behind the campaigns of influence in order to dissuade them from spreading propaganda and false information.
While the United States did not directly threaten individuals, its previous sanctions and indictments could help deter Russian agents once they would have realized that they had been identified, according to the Times report. .
US intelligence agencies have concluded that Kremlin-backed entities have joined the campaign for the 2016 presidential election in an effort to boost Republican candidate Donald Trump, a charge repeatedly denied by Moscow. Intelligence officials said Moscow remained a threat to the US elections.
On Friday, the US government unveiled what one official said was the first criminal charges related to an attempt to interfere in mid-term elections next month. Elena Alekseevna Khusyaynova, a 44-year-old Russian national, has been accused of playing a key financial role in a Kremlin-funded plan to wage an "information war" against the United States, including attempts to influence American voters.
According to the Times, the protection operation included missions undertaken in recent days, but was limited in part to prevent Moscow from exacerbating its reaction beyond election-related actions that could target the US power grid or other targets.
US Cyber Command has also sent teams to Europe to help its allies fight against Russian intrusions, officials told the Times.
Reuters could not immediately confirm the Times' report and the Pentagon representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
US National Security Advisor John Bolton in Moscow for meetings this week told the Russian authorities on Monday that his interference in the elections has sowed suspicion.
More than a dozen Russian and three Russian entities have been indicted as part of a US investigation into the 2016 interference and possible collusion of the Trump campaign, among which 12 Russian intelligence officers and a group based in St. Petersburg known for its monitoring of social media.
Trump has repeatedly denied any collusion.
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