unclassified "Annual Threat Assessment" puts this sustained Russian threat in a nutshell:
Russia presents one of the most serious foreign influence threats to the United States, using its intelligence services, proxies, and wideranging influence tools to try to divide Western alliances, and increase its sway around the world, while attempting to undermine U.S. global standing, amplify discord inside the United States, and influence U.S. voters and decisionmaking.[14]
RUSSIAN DISINFORMATION AND THE 2020 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
Foreign adversaries' influence campaigns routinely push disinformation to U.S. audiences. Elections offer an important forum for Russia and other U.S. adversaries to seek to deepen divisions within American society through disinformation campaigns.[15] The Intelligence Community projects that both Russia and China will, for the foreseeable future, continue to press their disinformation campaigns attempting to undermine the U.S. population's confidence in their government and society.[16] Russia certainly did so in the period following the election and preceding the January 6th attack.
The disinformation spread by Russia and its messengers during that time was not, however, entirely original. The Intelligence Community Assessment found that Russia's disinformation engine borrowed President Trump's own words to achieve its goals:
Russian online influence actors generally promoted former President Trump and his commentary, including repeating his political messaging on the election results; the presidential campaign; debates; the impeachment inquiry; and, as the election neared, US domestic crises.[17]
Indeed, President Trump's messaging during and after the 2020 election was reflected in Russian influence efforts at the time. In September of 2020, the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Intelligence and Analysis warned that Russia was engaged in pre-election activity targeting the U.S. democratic process.[18] The bulletin advised that "Russia is likely to continue amplifying criticisms of vote-by-mail and shifting voting processes amidst the COVID–19 pandemic to undermine public trust in the electoral process."[19]
Deliberately spreading disinformation to discredit a U.S. election was not new to Russia's influence arsenal. In the judgment of the U.S. Intelligence Community, it is a tactic Russia was prepared to deploy after the 2016 U.S. Presidential election:
