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The Honorable Devin Nunes

Chairman
Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence
U.S. House of Reprcscntatives

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SIP 23 2016

Washington, D.C. 20515

The Honorable Adam B. Schiff

Ranking Member
Pe-anent Select Committee on Intelligcncc
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515

Dear Chairman Nuncs and Ranking Member Schiff:

P`IrSua" tO Sechon 502 of the Intelligence Authorization Actfior Fiscal Year 20I6.
the Intelligence Community offers the following information.

Russia,s influence campaign is built on longstanding practices. Moscow has been

opportunistic in its efforts to strengthen Russian influence in Europe and Eurasia by
developing affiliations with and deepening financial or political connections to like-minded

political parties and Non-govemmental Organizations. Moscow appears to use monetary

support in combination with other tools of Russian statecraft, including propaganda in local
media. direct lobbying by the Russian Govemment, economic pressure, and military
intimidation.
Russian trolls and other cyber actors post comments on the IntemeL maintain blOgS,
challenge I.pro-Westem" joumalists and media narratives, and spread pro-Russian
information on social media.

Russian sponsored media outlets RT and Sputnik have targeted various activist
groups for their audiences, including environmentalists, civil rights activists, minorities. and
far-right and far-left elements of European society. Of note, RT often invites political figures
onto its channel who are viewed controversially in Europe. The channel gives
disproportionate coverage and airtime to the European Parliament,s more extreme factions.
In 20I4, members ofthe European Parliament from many Euroskeptic parties throughout
Europe acted as monitors for the Crimea referendum on joining Russia. and the separatist
elections in Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts.

Additional information is contained in the classifled rep{)rt provided to the Committee

in July 2016. Originals of this letter are being sent to the leadership ofcommittees with
intelligence oversight responsibilities, as well as House and Senate leadership. lf you have
any questions, please contact the Off_lee of Legislative Affairs at (703) 275-2474.

-i;:--JiI-j;:i-i,Deirdre M. Walsh