US alleges 'Russia is trying to interfere in elections'

The US Department of Justice has accused certain media outlets and social media platforms linked to Russia of attempting to interfere in the presidential election to be held on November 5.

US Attorney General Merrick Garland made statements targeting the Moscow administration and announced new sanctions during a press conference held at the Department.

Garland argued that the Russian state channel RT is being used covertly by the Moscow administration to "shape public opinion ahead of the American presidential election" and thereby influence the election.

Attorney General Garland stated that not only RT, but also many social media platforms and users directed by Moscow are attempting to influence American public opinion and interfere in the elections, and noted that they would impose sanctions on these individuals and institutions.

10 MILLION DOLLARS TO CREATE POLITICAL INFLUENCE

Garland announced that they have determined that two RT employees, Kostiantyn Kalashnikov and Elena Afanasyeva, spent 10 million dollars to create political influence in the US via social media platforms, and that they have included these two individuals under the scope of sanctions.

The US Attorney General emphasized that, in addition to Russia, actors such as Iran and China are also attempting to exert influence on the US political system and the presidential race, albeit indirectly, and that they are closely monitoring these steps and taking the necessary precautions.

The US Department of Justice also stated that two media-communications firms linked to Russia, the Social Design Agency (SDA) and Structura National Technology (Structura), are also attempting to interfere in the US presidential election and will be subject to sanctions in this context.

US intelligence concluded that Russia attempted to interfere in the 2016 presidential election through RT and other media organizations, while Moscow has denied the allegations of election interference.