Russia claims it doesn't care who wins the US election. Its state media tells another story.

• Despite nan Kremlin's neutral stance, Russian authorities media shows it favors Donald Trump.
• State media has bullied Kamala Harris while portraying Trump successful a affirmative light.
• Meta and TikTok person antecedently banned Russian authorities media for predetermination interference.

The Kremlin has agelong maintained it doesn't attraction who will triumph nan US statesmanlike predetermination connected November 5th.

"Generally speaking, nan result of this predetermination makes nary quality to us," Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said successful an question and reply pinch Newsweek earlier this month.

But contempt what Russian officials claim, nan country's authorities media tells a very different story.

"Russia perfectly cares a awesome woody astir who wins nan US election," Ann Marie Dailey, a argumentation interrogator astatine RAND, told Business Insider.

"Russia will activity to sway nan predetermination successful a measurement that minimizes US support for Ukraine."

State media coverage

Per Reuters, Harris' inclination to burst retired laughing during interviews and debates has been bullied successful Russian authorities TV broadcasts.

Russian authorities TV has besides played compilations of immoderate of Harris' worst moments and made predominant sexist and racist comments astir nan statesmanlike candidate.

"Kamala pinch nan atomic fastener is worse than a monkey pinch a grenade," Andrei Sidorov, nan dean of nan world authorities section astatine Moscow State University, said connected nan Russian state-run Rossiya 1 channel, according to Politico.

By comparison, Russian authorities TV's main Channel One news programme often portrays Trump and moving mate, JD Vance, arsenic assured and intelligent, Reuters said.

The discrepancy betwixt really broadcasters position nan 2 candidates was peculiarly clear aft past month's statesmanlike debate, which was wide regarded arsenic a clear triumph for Harris.

However, Russian channels struggled to explicate what had happened.

According to nan Daily Beast, hosts and pundits connected Russian authorities tv said that Trump was someway "sabotaged" aliases "disadvantaged."

Covert power operations

It's not conscionable seemingly biased reporting. Last month, TikTok said it removed accounts associated pinch Russian authorities media for "engaging successful covert power operations."

Meta besides banned RT, Rossiya Segodnya, and different Russian authorities media networks from its platforms, claiming nan outlets had utilized deceptive strategies to transportation retired interference activity.

In a connection to the BBC astatine nan time, RT said: "It's tiny really there's a title successful nan West — who tin effort to spank RT nan hardest, successful bid to make themselves look better.

"Don't worry, wherever they adjacent a door, and past a window, our 'partisans' (or successful your parlance, guerrilla fighters) will find nan cracks to crawl done — arsenic by your ain admission, we are apt astatine doing."

In September, nan Department of Justice said successful an indictment that an unnamed Tenessee patient — later identified arsenic blimpish institution Tenet Media — took almost $10 cardinal from nan Russian authorities media institution RT.

The aim, according to nan Department of Justice, was to "create and administer contented to US audiences pinch hidden Russian authorities messaging."

Tenet Media published contented from six influencers, each of whom publically support erstwhile President Donald Trump. The influencers distanced themselves from nan accusations and described themselves arsenic being "victims."

Trump's influence

"The Kremlin does perfectly attraction astir this predetermination nan most," Mathieu Boulegue, a consulting chap astatine Chatham House, told BI.

"They would overmuch alternatively for illustration a Trump presidency. They attraction truthful overmuch astir nan elections that they're trying to rig and to play nan elections by utilizing propaganda, accusation warfare, and astir apt cyber activities."

For Putin, a Trump presidency could thief him execute his goals successful Ukraine. Trump has praised Putin for being "smart" and "genius" aft he began his unprovoked penetration of Ukraine.

He has consistently backed a swift extremity to nan warfare successful Ukraine and has questioned why nan US is helping Ukraine take sides itself.

The warfare has been costly for Russia. An unnamed US charismatic told Reuters successful February that Russia's warfare successful Ukraine has costs it up to $212 billion.

A December 2023 RAND report projected nan nonstop costs of nan warfare for Russia done 2024 to beryllium $132 billion.

Though Trump has offered fewer specifications connected really nan warfare could end, a bid scheme suggested by Vance connected a podcast in September indicates that it'd impact Ukraine ceding nan territory Russia holds and pledging neutrality.

William Pomerantz, an expert astatine nan Wilson Center successful Washington, DC, antecedently told BI that "Trump believes that he tin extremity nan warfare successful Ukraine successful a week, but that would require conceding to each of Putin's demands."

The Kremlin did not instantly respond to a petition by BI for comment.