The fake video claims Kamala Harris left a teen paralyzed in an alleged hit-and-run case in 2011
Washington:
A false claim circulating on social media that Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris left a 13-year-old girl paralyzed after an alleged hit-and-run in San Francisco in 2011 is the work of a secret Russian disinformation operation, new research from Microsoft shows.
Investigators discovered that the operation created a video, paid an actor to appear as the alleged victim, and spread the claim through a fake website of a non-existent San Francisco news channel called “KBSF-TV”. The Russian group responsible, which Microsoft calls Storm-1516, is described as a Kremlin-targeted troll farm.
The discovery is a sign that Russia is stepping up its foreign influence efforts ahead of the Nov. 5 presidential election, Microsoft said.
A spokesperson for the Russian embassy in Washington did not respond to a request for comment.
“Russian influence operations initially struggled to redirect operations targeting the Democratic campaign following President Biden’s departure from the 2024 U.S. presidential race,” according to a blog published by Microsoft on Tuesday.
“However, in late August, elements of prolific Russian actor Storm-1516 began producing content implicating Vice President Harris and Governor Walz in bizarre bogus conspiracy theories,” Microsoft said, referring to Harris’ running mate, Tim Walz.
Storm-1516 is known for producing misleading videos featuring on-screen or voice actors posing as whistleblowers or journalists sharing false, scandalous information, experts say.
According to online registration records, a website for KBSF-TV was created shortly before the first related article about the alleged driving incident was published. The claim was spread on social media platforms, including X.com, using the hashtag #HitAndRunKamala.
The video was also shared on X.com on September 3 by Aussie Cossack, who describes himself as a “registered foreign agent for Sputnik News,” with the message “make this go viral MAGA people.” In total, the video is estimated to have been viewed more than 2.7 million times.
“Many entities within the pro-Russian ecosystem have come forward with the video and its claims,” Microsoft’s Threat Analysis Center said. “Storm-1516 relies on some of these personalities, like Aussie Cossack, to drive the amplification of its videos.”
Cossacks did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Earlier this month, the US Department of Justice filed money laundering charges against two employees of Russian state media network RT, over what officials said was a scheme to hire a US company to produce online content to promote the election to influence.
U.S. officials say Russia’s goal is to deepen political divisions in the U.S. and weaken public support for U.S. military aid to Ukraine. Harris says if elected she will continue to support Ukraine in its defense against the Russian invasion.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)