The US has not passed aid to Ukraine yet, and this may be thanks to Russian disinformation distracting lawmakers and the public about the US border crisis. As this is happening, the US election looms while Donald Trump remains hellbent on using the border issue for his own gain, even pressuring lawmakers to reject a border deal so he can milk the issue further and blame it on Joe Biden.

Russian state media and various online accounts tied to the Kremlin have been spreading and amplifying misleading and incendiary information regarding what is happening at the US-Mexico border in recent weeks.

The Associated Press noted that this Russian disinformation campaign seems to intentionally stoke outrage and polarization ahead of the 2024 US presidential election, as stated by Russian disinformation experts. This is all to distract Americans from the war in Ukraine, weaken support for the country, and cut off a vital supply of aid.

These are then spread across social media, online videos, and various websites. It was reported that "these accounts misstate the impact of immigration, highlight stories about crimes committed by immigrants, and warn of dire consequences if the US doesn't crack down at its border with Mexico."

It was also noted that many of these posts regarding the US border crisis "are misleading, filled with cherry-picked data or debunked rumors."

"Things have shifted, even in the last few days," Kyle Walter, head of research at Logically, a tech company that tracks disinformation campaigns, told the AP. He added that the content seen from Russia so far this year "is the first indication that I've seen that Russia is actually going to focus on US elections."

The group has already identified dozens of these Russian accounts that are posting about immigration in the US. The most specific area these posts have been doing is promoting recent anti-immigration rallies in Texas.

These misleading posts often try to highlight alleged crimes done by recent immigrants. These also try to paint immigrants as a burden on local communities. These Russian accounts are said to range from ones with only a few followers on social media to ones made by state media sites with millions of followers.

Russia Has Incentive To Interfere in US Elections, Says Expert

The disinformation campaign was made to undercut not just US military aide to Ukraine but also US support for and solidarity with NATO. This is worrying many, especially after Donald Trump's recent comments about letting Vladimir Putin invade NATO allies.

"Not that they didn't have an incentive to interfere in the last two presidential elections," Bret Schafer, a senior fellow at the Alliance for Securing Democracy of the German Marshall Fund, told NBC News. He tracks disinformation efforts by Russia and other regimes and added, "But I would say that the incentive to interfere is heightened right now."

This comes as US aid to Ukraine remains stalled as the slim Republican majority in Congress continues to keep the aid package off the budget while Trump allies killed a recent border package after Trump himself told them to because it would help Biden out.

Russia Disinformation Campaign Also Boosting Calls for Civil War

That is not all that the Russian disinformation campaign is trying to do, though, as Russia is also pushing the narrative that the US is heading for civil war.

According to WIRED, "The disinformation campaign began in earnest in late January" after Russian politicians spoke out against a US Supreme Court decision that sided with Joe Biden over allowing federal authorities to cut down the state's razor wire along the border. One of the people trying to egg on immigration opponents is Putin ally and Russian Prime Minister Dimitry Medvedev.

"Establishing a People's Republic of Texas is getting more and more real," he said on X. He then claimed that the situation could lead to "a bloody civil war which cost thousands upon thousands of lives."

His post received plenty of comments in support of another civil war in the US, including Russian politicians who are saying that they would recognize Texas should it secede.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: House GOP duped by 'Russian disinformation propaganda,' Raskin says - MSNBC