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Remember the 'Russia Hoax' ?

Putin ally Yevgeny Prigozhin has admitted to interfering in US elections on the eve of a midterm vote in which Republicans will seek to take control of Congress and state-wide offices across the country.

“Gentlemen, we interfered, we are interfering and we will interfere, carefully, precisely, surgically and the way we do it, the way we can."

Prigozhin was responding to a request to comment on a recent Bloomberg report saying Russia was interfering in Tuesday’s US midterm elections.

The US social media analysis firm Graphika last week said that suspected Russian operatives have used far-right media platforms to criticise Democratic candidates in the lead-up to the midterm elections in a number of US states, including Georgia, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

Prigozhin, together with a dozen other Russian nationals and three Russian companies was indicted in 2018 as part of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential elections.

Prigozhin was charged with inciting discord and dividing American public opinion ahead of the 2016 US presidential election, accusations Prigozhin, as well as the Kremlin, has previously vehemently denied.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/nov/07/putin-ally-yevgeny-prigozhin-admits-interfering-in-us-elections

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trollslayer · 46-50, M

Russia (and other foreign operatives) trying to create havoc in the US election system is not up for dispute. We all witnessed it.

I entered the social media world about 6 months before the 2016 election. I immediately noticed folks sharing "news stories" and memes that were outright lies - and made no logical sense. The first one I remember was a photo supposedly of Mexico's southern border with a fortified wall saying that if they can build such a wall on their southern border, why can't we? Except the photo showed a wall across a desert landscape... any person who ever looked at a globe would know this was not a photo of Mexico's southern border. Yet all the "FUCK YEAH!" comments surprised me. And then there were the numerous "news" articles being shared form new sources with such names as "America First News" that had spelling or grammatical errors, or obvious factual errors, and thousands of people sharing and commenting "fuck yeah!" I remarked to my friend that this seemed odd, and a month later the term "fake news" became big.

Trump won fair and square in 2016. There were no fake ballots, fake electors, fraudulent votes, ballot tampering. But his voters WERE influenced by that foreign social media propaganda. How do I know? I have many family members who were so fooled.

Pikachu

@trollslayer

Yup. Social media is a legitimately serious tool in modern votes because not only can propaganda be spread quickly and easily, the same algorithms that make micro targeting possible for ads also make microtargeting possible for propaganda.

helenS · 36-40, F

That Prigozhin guy is a braggart. A megalomaniac.
How would they "interfere" with US elections? Do they force people to vote red or blue at gunpoint?

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Pikachu

@helenS

This isn't my estimation. This is the estimation of counterintelligence and security agencies and is not based on Russian propaganda but on documented instances of Russian cyber attacks.

Don't be lulled into thinking that because Russia is bungling the ground war in Ukraine that they must therefor be incompetent in every area.
Indeed, that is exactly the sort of belief that Russian cyber intelligence would like you to have.

helenS · 36-40, F

@Pikachu Totally disagree with you – on that specific point only. It's all just posture. Russia is like a frog that blows up like a balloon to scare others. If you put a needle in it, it will go pfffffttttt....

Pikachu

@helenS

I don't think it's just posturing because they have a successful track record.

Russia is a cyber-superpower with a serious arsenal of cyber-tools, and hackers capable of disruptive and potentially destructive cyber-attacks ... NotPetya is thought to be the most costly cyber-attack in history and has been blamed on a group of Russian military hackers by the US, UK and EU authorities.

https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-60841924

October 2022. Pro-Russian hackers claimed responsibility for an attack that knocked U.S. state government websites offline, including Colorado’s, Kentucky’s and Mississippi’s.

September 2022. A Russian-based hacking group targeted the website of the United Kingdom’s intelligence agency MI5 with a DDoS attack that temporarily took the site offline.

May 2022. Russian hackers hit Italian websites with a DDoS attack, including the Senate, the Ministry of Defence and the National Health Institute. The group states its goal was to target NATO countries and Ukraine.

April 2022. Russian hackers targeted the Costa Rican Ministry of Finance in a cyberattack, crippling tax collection and export systems. The newly elected President of Costa Rica declared a national emergency as a result of the attack and the group asked for $20 million in ransom or it plans to leak the stolen data.

https://www.csis.org/programs/strategic-technologies-program/significant-cyber-incidents

And so on ad so forth.
Sad to say that at least on this front, Russia is not just boasting.

LegendofPeza · 56-60, M

@pianoplayingsteve 'could you give me some examples of things that were Russian misinfo and proof the Russians did it?'

Well there's the confession above in the question from the guy who was actually responsible for it. There's also the indictments from Mueller and the findings from the Senate Intelligence Committee report.

What more do you want ?

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Longleggedlady · 31-35, F

@LegendofPeza

pianoplayingsteve · 31-35, M

@LegendofPeza you haven’t given me any proof, all of you’ve given me is something that would be dismissed as some fringe crazy if it didn’t support a certain political narrative. There are also interviews with high ranking people talking about ritual human sacrifices and what not, is that conclusive proof of that too?

Longleggedlady · 31-35, F

@pianoplayingsteve
That is the picture that was used on the news in Europe there is nothing illegal about having a head office even the composer needs one.

RuyLopez · 56-60, M

Advertisers tied to the Russian government spent $100,000 on Facebook ads around the time of the 2016 election. But how much did Hillary Clinton and now-President Donald Trump spend on the social media platform?

The answer: $81 million combined.

Only 46 percent of the Russian-purchased ads ran on Facebook before the election. The remaining ads ran after the election that took place one year ago this month.

https://www.cnet.com/news/politics/trump-clinton-election-facebook-campaigns-spent-81-million-combined/

ididntknow · 51-55, M

@RuyLopez so what you’re saying is Americans are very very easily influenced, when it comes to elections, you lot must be very weak minded

RuyLopez · 56-60, M

@ididntknow Really? Where you from?

JimboSaturn · 51-55, M

And some SW members ate up every bit of Russian misinformation

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pianoplayingsteve · 31-35, M

@JimboSaturn : ‘I disagree with them so they gotta be bots.. my source? Just trust me bro’. Let’s say he did admit it. There could be many reasons for ‘admitting it’. Blackmail?

JimboSaturn · 51-55, M

@pianoplayingsteve I do agree with you that it would be strange for him to admit it because that might prevent him from being successful in the future.

pianoplayingsteve · 31-35, M

@JimboSaturn yeah so as usual that sort of thing is rubbish. ‘Hello world I committed a crime by the way. Could have gotten away with it but nah I’ll take interviews on it’. Seriously this whole bot narrative thing is stupid, especially when it’s pushed by the left who will then just outright deny any sort of accusation by the right of election interference. Stupid red team vs blue team turning politics into sports ball

twiigss · M

I don't use crapbook and good old twitty, so pretty sure the way i vote is the way i want to vote. I mean come on we all have brains, we all have our own opinions about things.

helenS · 36-40, F

@twiigss No US administration has placed more sanctions on Russia than the Trump administration. That's weirdly at odds with what Mr. Trump said when he was president. The discrepancy is hard to understand.

ididntknow · 51-55, M

The biggest producer of propaganda in the world, THE AMERICAN GOVERNMENT !

LegendofPeza · 56-60, M

@pianoplayingsteve ok dude , the guy himself saying what they did isn't proof enough for you.

The Senate committee's findings isn't proof enough for you.

The Mueller indictments aren't proof enough for you.

I'm not wasting another breath on you.

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LegendofPeza · 56-60, M

@SW-User He thinks he's being cute by being deliberately obtuse. It's what passes for discussion amongst the intellectually challenged.

pianoplayingsteve · 31-35, M

@LegendofPeza you don’t know what I’m thinking. But this site seems to be up full of ‘hur hur anyone I disagree with is stupid’ arguments.

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MistyCee

@SW-User The day after Barrack gets off, this point is less poignant.

Russian interference was never really deniable by anyone, but the parallel interests between Trump and his aides looking for money and power from Russia and MAGA types looking to destabilize and destroy the US has never really been talked about, even though I think it's almost as undeniable.

LegendofPeza · 56-60, M

@MistyCee And I doubt we're about to see today's GOP condemning Russian election interference which benefits them.

Slade · 56-60, M

How much did your St Mueller prove that was of any use?

Better go light another votive candle of him. Lol

Start greasing up for the reaming your kind will get tomorrow😂

LegendofPeza · 56-60, M

@Slade 'How much did your St Mueller prove that was of any use?'

Enough to indict 13 Russian nationals and three Russian companies on conspiracy charges.. The charges related to a Russian propaganda effort designed to interfere with the 2016 campaign. The companies involved are the Internet Research Agency, often described as a “Russian troll farm,” and two other companies that helped finance it. The Russian nationals indicted include 12 of the agency’s employees and its alleged financier, Yevgeny Prigozhin.

sunsporter1649 · 70-79, M

@LegendofPeza Damn good at indicting foreign nationals and parents protesting at school board meetings

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MistyCee

Sighs.

Was Russian "interference" on Trump's behalf a hoax, or was it Trump's "collusion" and the fact that he benefitted from Russian efforts for a mutually shared objective, and how does it change from 2016, 2020, or 2022?

smiler2012 · 56-60

{@rodionromanovitch] 🤔 you mean these upcoming midterm elections why come out with this now . is this a wind up by the russians they have interfered just too make mischief

LegendofPeza · 56-60, M

@smiler2012 Here's what I told the other guy ;

The guy is the founder of the Wagner Group , now spearheading the Russian campaign in Ukraine. For years Putin had denied that Wagner had anything to do with the Russian State. Yesterday they opened a shiny new building in the heart of St.Petersburg.

Prigozhin had been highly critical of the Ukraine campaign and has criticised the military command. Now his forces are having the most success against the Ukranian counter offensive and he is being hailed as a saviour.

Some have interpreted his remarks today as a further burnishing of his credentials and a sign of his growing political influence within the Kremlin.

Roundandroundwego · 61-69

Which party thwarted its frontrunner to nominate a neocon?
Russia isn't it. Murka dumb. Brains!

pianoplayingsteve · 31-35, M

What of it? I thought US elections were safe and secure, or whatever the buzz term was

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pianoplayingsteve · 31-35, M

@LegendofPeza of course, seen this done to people before, if someone disagrees with someone, it just has to be that they can’t understand them. It’s the get out of jail card for any discussion because in any context you can just derail the exchange with ‘you just don’t understand’. Weird how there is no misunderstanding when they agree with you.

LegendofPeza · 56-60, M

@pianoplayingsteve Ok , you don't understand the difference between an influencing campaign and actually hacking into voting machines to alter the outcome of an election. We'll just leave it there shall we.

pianoplayingsteve · 31-35, M

@LegendofPeza if you still have that attitude, sure pal :)

pianoplayingsteve · 31-35, M

pianoplayingsteve · 31-35, M

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Adrift · 61-69, F

@SW-User Not really, just bored with those who recycle the same crap like a broken record.

LegendofPeza · 56-60, M

@Adrift 'those who recycle the same crap '

The comments were made two days ago.

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