Russia spread hurricane lies to drive Americans apart, research finds

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Much of the online content that spread lies about the federal government’s response to recent hurricanes was fueled by Russia, new research shows.

According to the London-based Institute for Strategic Dialogue, Russian state media and networks of social media accounts and websites have exploited legitimate concerns about hurricane recovery efforts in an effort to paint American leaders as corrupt and incompetent.

In some cases, fake images created by artificial intelligence were circulated, including a photo showing devastating Disney World flooding that never happened.

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Most of the lies took aim at the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Democratic administration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, who’s running against former President Donald Trump in the race for the White House. Intelligence officials confirmed Tuesday that Russia created a manipulated video to smear Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.

The disinformation appears designed to support Trump, who has praised Russian President Vladimir Putin and disparaged the NATO alliance that’s aiding Ukraine against Russian invasion.

FILE - Widespread destruction in Lake Lure, North Carolina, following Tropical Storm Helene (Photo by Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty Images)

It’s part of a wider effort by the Kremlin to manipulate political discourse in the U.S. ahead of the presidential election. The approach is consistent with the Kremlin’s long-standing practice of identifying legitimate debates and contentious issues in the U.S. and then exploiting them. Previous disinformation campaigns have harnessed debates about immigration, racism, crime and the economy in an effort to portray the U.S. as corrupt, violent and unjust.

The activity has increased sharply leading up to the Nov. 5 election, using hot-button issues to undermine Americans' trust in their government and each other.

"These are not situations that foreign actors are creating," said Melanie Smith, director of research at ISD. "They're simply pouring gasoline on fires that already exist."

In July, American intelligence officials warned that "unwitting Americans" were helping do Russia's work for it.

"The false claims, ranging from FEMA diverting funds to aid migrants to conspiracy theories about weather manipulation, undermine public trust in government as we near election day, which could seriously impact voter confidence," Cyabra researchers said in a report.

Russia denies allegations that it’s attempting to meddle in the U.S. election.