The Biden administration on Wednesday announced sweeping measures aimed at denouncing Russian influence in the upcoming U.S. presidential election, dropping criminal charges against two employees of a Russian state-owned media company and seizing internet domains used by the Kremlin to spread disinformation.
The moves represent an effort by the U.S. government to counter a persistent threat from Russia that U.S. officials say could sow discord and confuse voters.
Washington has said Russia remains the main threat to the election, even as the FBI investigates Iranian hacking of Donald Trump’s campaign and attempted intrusion into the Joe Biden-Kamala Harris campaign.
A criminal case accuses two employees of RT, a Russian state-funded media outlet that the Justice Department forced to become a foreign agent, of secretly funding a Tennessee-based content creation company to publish nearly 2,000 videos containing Russian propaganda. The defendants, who remain at large, used false identities and the company was unaware that it was being used by Russia.
In another move, authorities announced the seizure of 32 Internet domains that were used by the Kremlin to spread Russian propaganda and weaken global support for Ukraine.