The action also targeted two employees of RT, formerly known as Russia Today, a Russian state media outlet with content available in English, charging the duo with violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act.
Collectively, the two actions are some of the strongest moves taken under the Biden White House to confront accelerating efforts by the Russian government the intelligence community has deemed “the predominant threat to U.S. elections.”
Deemed “Doppelganger,” the Russian effort employed a mix of creating sites with slightly different web addresses that mimic U.S. news outlets.
One appeared to mimic The Washington Post, and all are plastered with pro-Russian narratives. The operation also created other media brands to funnel Russian content.
“As of noon today, we’ve seized those sites, rendered them inoperable, and made clear to the world what they are: Russian attempts to interfere in our elections and influence our society,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said as Justice Department officials convened an Election Threats Task Force meeting.
While neither officials nor the filings unsealed Wednesday named Russia’s preferred candidate, supporting exhibits included make clear support for former President Trump’s candidacy.
Read more in a full report here.
