US intelligence cautions about the 'threat' from Russian media

A recent report has indicated that Moscow's "influence activities" are likely to become more pronounced and sophisticated.

According to an American intelligence assessment, Russia is deploying various entities, including Russia Today, to shape public perception and incite division within the United States.

This claim was detailed in the 2025 Annual Threat Assessment of the US Intelligence Community, released to the public on Tuesday. The document aims to encapsulate "the collective insights" of American intelligence agencies.

The authors of the report stated that Moscow “uses influence activities to counter threats, including by stoking political discord in the West, sowing doubt in democratic processes and US global leadership, degrading Western support for Ukraine, and amplifying preferred Russian narratives.”

The report alleged that Russia is utilizing "troll farms" to spread information via fake accounts, alongside "state media outlet Russia Today" to covertly influence American public opinion, exacerbate domestic divisions, and engage with Americans while concealing its involvement.

It reiterated allegations of Russian interference in US elections—a claim that Moscow has continually denied—asserting that Russia "probably believes [such] information operations efforts... are advantageous, regardless of whether they affect election outcomes, because reinforcing doubt in the integrity of the US electoral system achieves one of its core objectives."

The paper further suggested that "Moscow’s malign influence activities will continue for the foreseeable future and will almost certainly increase in sophistication and volume."

This threat assessment was made public amid ongoing efforts by Russia and the administration of US President Donald Trump to seek a diplomatic resolution to the conflict in Ukraine and to normalize relations between Moscow and Washington.

Recently, Russian and US experts engaged in 12-hour discussions in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where they agreed to revive the stalled Black Sea Grain Initiative, which aimed at ensuring safe passage for Ukrainian agricultural products in return for the West lifting sanctions on Russian grain and fertilizer exports.

Last September, the then-outgoing administration of President Joe Biden unveiled new restrictions targeting various Russian media outlets, accusing them of attempts to "undermine democracy" and interfere with US elections. Former Secretary of State Antony Blinken claimed that RT was “functioning as a de facto arm of [Russian] intelligence.”

Moscow criticized these restrictions, asserting that Washington had “declared war on freedom of speech.”

Moreover, earlier this month, American journalist Ben Swann—who previously led RT's operations in the US—called on the Trump administration to lift these restrictions, asserting that they were unconstitutional and infringed upon "rights of freedom of speech and press."

Lucas Dupont for TROIB News