(University of the Western Cape, 2022) Bougaard, Jodie; Pretorius, Joelien
There is significant evidence that the Russian government interfered in the 2016 United States (US) Presidential election, including through direct attacks against US election infrastructure and internet-based disinformation. Interference in the US election in 2016 represented a particularly sophisticated intrusion due partly to the use of cyber operations as an interference tool. Open-source information provides insight into Russia's interference methods; however, the precise motivation for pursuing interference remains unknown. Russian incentives to interfere in the US Presidential elections in 2016 remain a topic of debate in academia, politics, media and popular culture.