Russia's Strategic Move: Undermining U.S. Backing for Ukraine

U.S. officials believe that Russian President Vladimir Putin plans to end U.S. and European support for Ukraine by using spy agencies to push propaganda supporting pro-Russian political parties and stoking conspiracy theories with new technologies. Russia aims to increase support for candidates opposing Ukraine aid, ultimately seeking to halt international military assistance to Kyiv. Moscow may also try to boost pro-Russian candidates in Europe and influence the European parliamentary vote. American intelligence agencies warn that Russia is better than any other country at combining state media, private troll farms, and intelligence service operations to attack in the digital space. Underestimating Russia's ability to conduct influence operations would be a mistake, as it could escalate its efforts if influence operations fail to gain traction.