Microsoft: Fake Kamala hit-and-run story is the work of a Russian propaganda group

A false claim circulating on social media that Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris left a 13-year-old girl paralyzed after an alleged hit-and-run accident in San Francisco in 2011 is the work of a covert Russian disinformation operation, according to a new investigation by Microsoft.

Researchers found that the operation created a video, paid an actor to pose as the alleged victim, and spread the claim through a fake website of a nonexistent San Francisco news channel called “KBSF-TV.” The Russian group responsible, which Microsoft calls Storm-1516, is described as a Kremlin-aligned troll farm.

The discovery is a sign that Russia is increasing its efforts to exert influence abroad in the run-up to the November 5 presidential election, Microsoft said.

A spokesman for the Russian embassy in Washington did not respond to a request for comment.

“Russian influence operations initially struggled to redirect their Democratic-targeted operations following President Biden's withdrawal from the 2024 U.S. presidential race,” Microsoft said in a blog posted Tuesday (September 17).

“However, in late August, elements of the prolific Russian actor Storm-1516 began producing content that implicated Vice President Harris and Governor Walz in outlandish false conspiracy theories,” Microsoft said, referring to Harris' running mate Tim Walz.

Storm-1516 is known for producing misleading videos featuring actors or voice artists posing as whistleblowers or journalists and spreading false, scandalous information, experts say.