US Intelligence Finds Russia Aims to Inject Chaos Into 2026 Midterm Elections

Classified U.S. intelligence assessments from recent months have found that the Kremlin has again authorized a covert digital influence campaign targeting Americans ahead of November's midterm elections, according to U.S. officials speaking on condition of anonymity 12. The officials said the effort seeks to seed or amplify domestic divisions and inject chaos into the voting season, using a playbook Russia has employed in every federal election cycle since 2016 1. The assessments found no evidence of targeting voting machinery or infrastructure that could compromise the actual voting process 1. Some of the officials characterized the campaign as less extensive or coordinated than prior Russian election efforts, attributing this in part to Moscow's focus on its war in Ukraine and lesser interest in midterm contests versus presidential races 1. Separately, disinformation researchers have identified recent social media campaigns using AI-generated fake videos of Hollywood celebrities discussing key battleground Senate races 1.