FBI Monitoring Potential Russian Interference in 2024 Election Amid US Support for Ukraine

US intelligence officials are closely monitoring the situation to see if the United States’ support for Ukraine will prompt the Russian government to take more risks in potentially interfering in the 2024 presidential election, a senior FBI official revealed on Thursday.

FBI officials expressed concerns that the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, coupled with President Joe Biden’s unwavering support for Kyiv, could serve as a catalyst for Russian interference in the upcoming election. The FBI official emphasized the need to remain vigilant and prevent any escalation of risk-taking by Russia.

A clear divide has emerged in US politics, with Democrats largely backing Biden’s financial and military aid to Ukraine, while some leading Republicans, including former President Donald Trump, are distancing themselves from foreign aid support.

US officials fear that Russia, with US military aid to Ukraine potentially at stake in the November election, may be motivated to intensify meddling in the 2024 election. However, no concrete examples of such interference have been publicly identified yet.

In the 2020 election, Russian President Vladimir Putin authorized influence operations to undermine confidence in the US electoral process, but these actions were not as extensive as those in the 2016 election. The FBI officials also highlighted China and Iran as potential threats to the integrity of the 2024 US election.

The use of artificial intelligence by sophisticated state actors has increased their ability to scale operations, posing a significant challenge to election security. The FBI officials stressed the importance of remaining vigilant and safeguarding the election infrastructure from cyber-espionage and influence operations.