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Senators Mark Warner and Representative Jim Himes say a classified U.S. intelligence report links Russia to an online campaign using AI-generated disinformation against congressional candidates. Researchers have also identified Russian-linked bot networks distributing deepfake videos, but intelligence agencies have found no proven effort to hack election systems or campaign networks.
U.S. intelligence has linked Russia to an online campaign using AI-generated disinformation to undermine congressional candidates ahead of the November 3 midterm elections, according to Democratic lawmakers Mark Warner and Jim Himes. The campaign includes deepfake videos of celebrities urging Americans not to vote for Democrats, while officials say they have found no proven attempts to hack election systems or campaign networks.
Warner, a senator, and Himes, a representative, told Politico that their assessment is based on a classified intelligence report they received earlier in the week. Both serve on their chambers’ intelligence committees. They said the report describes Moscow using AI tools to spread disinformation and weaken trust in individual candidates and the elections as a whole.
Earlier warnings focused on videos circulating on X that appeared to show celebrities including Robert De Niro, Julia Roberts and Cher telling viewers not to support Democrats. The Bot Blocker project, which tracks pro-Russian bot activity on social media, said a network called “Matryoshka” was distributing the clips. Posts reportedly used the logos of real news organizations and included false accusations against U.S. politicians.
A separate set of videos targeted Texas Democrat James Talarico. Researchers from Graphika, Alethea and Clemson University told NBC News that posts appearing on X on October 20 made baseless allegations of sexual assault against him. One post received more than 1.3 million views, according to the report. The researchers attributed the network behind the material to “Storm-1516,” a Russian disinformation operation previously linked to Russian military intelligence.
How the Videos Could Affect Voters
The reported activity highlights a form of election interference aimed at shaping what voters believe about candidates, rather than gaining access to the machinery that records or counts ballots. AI-generated impersonations and fabricated allegations can be shared as if they were authentic news or public statements, making it harder for people to distinguish genuine material from deception.
The scale of online attention also needs care in interpretation. Bloomberg reported that some bot posts accumulated tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of views, and that certain clips could reach as many as 200,000 views in their first hour. The report said those figures were artificially inflated through fake engagement; posts drew very few likes or reposts, and view counts stopped moving after the initial burst. A high displayed view count, on its own, does not establish how many people saw or believed a video.
Warner and Himes said Russia could target Democrats and Republicans who support Ukraine. That assessment suggests the operation may be focused on political positions as well as party competition. The available reporting does not establish that the videos have changed voter behavior or affected the election’s outcome.
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Warnings Began in Early September
Reports of attempted online interference in the congressional elections surfaced in early September, when Bot Blocker warned about AI-generated celebrity videos. The later reporting describes at least two named networks—Matryoshka and Storm-1516—rather than a single campaign with a fully public account of its structure or reach.
Researchers have previously associated Storm-1516 with alleged interference efforts in the United States, Germany, Hungary and France. In this case, the identification of the network and its links to Russia is attributed to researchers and reporting by NBC News; the public source material does not provide the underlying classified evidence.
The U.S. intelligence assessment described by Warner and Himes concerns efforts to discredit candidates and weaken confidence in the election. It is distinct from evidence of an intrusion into election infrastructure: intelligence agencies have reported no proven Russian attempts to hack voting systems or campaign networks.
“They identified the network behind the videos as the Russian disinformation operation Storm-1516.”
— Researchers from Graphika, Alethea and Clemson University, as reported by NBC News
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Evidence and Reach Remain Unclear
The classified intelligence report has not been made public in the supplied reporting, so readers cannot independently review the evidence behind the lawmakers’ account or the intelligence agencies’ assessment. The precise extent of Russian government direction, coordination between the named networks, and the campaign’s total volume are not established in public detail.
It is also unclear how many genuine users encountered the videos, whether viewers recognized them as fake, or whether the material changed opinions or voting plans. Reported view counts may be inflated by inauthentic activity and do not establish a real audience size. The allegations against Talarico were described as baseless, but the available material does not identify who created each video or post.
At this stage, the confirmed public account is of an intelligence assessment relayed by lawmakers and research findings reported by media organizations. It does not establish that votes were altered or that election systems were compromised.
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Election Watch Before November 3
The midterm elections are scheduled for November 3. Further public statements from U.S. intelligence agencies or lawmakers could clarify the evidence, the networks involved and any steps taken to address the campaign. The supplied reporting does not identify a specific upcoming briefing or enforcement action.
In the meantime, the development to watch is whether researchers, platforms or government officials publish additional findings about the videos and their distribution. Any new claims about hacking, voter impact or the networks’ direction should be distinguished from the current assessment: an influence operation has been described, but no proven attempt to hack election systems has been reported.
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Key Questions
What does the U.S. intelligence assessment say?
According to Senators Mark Warner and Representative Jim Himes, a classified report says Russia is using AI tools to spread disinformation and undermine trust in congressional candidates and the elections.
Which celebrities appear in the reported deepfake videos?
The Bot Blocker project warned about videos featuring apparent deepfakes of Robert De Niro, Julia Roberts and Cher urging viewers not to vote for Democrats.
Has Russia been shown to hack voting systems?
No proven attempts to hack election systems or campaign networks were reported by U.S. intelligence agencies in the supplied account. The reported activity involves online disinformation.
What are Matryoshka and Storm-1516?
They are names given to separate Russian-linked bot or disinformation networks. Bot Blocker associated Matryoshka with the celebrity videos; researchers cited by NBC News attributed videos targeting James Talarico to Storm-1516.
How many people have seen or believed the videos?
That is not known. Some posts displayed large view counts, but reports described artificial engagement, and view totals do not show how many genuine users watched or believed the content.
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