Researchers Link Russia to Fake Videos Targeting Texas Senate Race

WHO:

NBC News Politics - Three teams of disinformation researchers said Russian operatives were most likely behind an effort targeting the Texas Senate race.

NBC News Politics - The fake videos targeted Democratic and Republican candidates supportive of Ukraine.

NBC News - Researchers identified Storm-1516, a Russian government-backed group previously accused of similar propaganda campaigns, as the likely source of the videos.

NBC News Politics - James Talarico was identified as a Texas Senate candidate targeted by fake videos.

NBC News Politics - NBC News reporter Ryan Reilly reported on the videos.

WHAT:

NBC News Politics - Researchers described the suspected effort as the most prominent example yet of a foreign attempt to mislead voters ahead of the midterm elections.

NBC News - Researchers said Russian operatives likely spread fake videos targeting the Texas Senate race.

WHERE:

NBC News Politics - The videos targeted candidates in the Texas Senate race.

NBC News - The reported activity involved the Texas Senate race.

WHY:

NBC News Politics - The videos were part of an apparent foreign effort to mislead voters ahead of the midterm elections.

NBC News Politics - The candidates were targeted because they had been supportive of Ukraine.

HOW:

NBC News - Researchers said the videos were most likely spread by Storm-1516, a Russian government-backed group.

NBC News Politics - The suspected meddling used fake videos aimed at candidates from both major parties.

(UPDATED October 23, 2026 04:10 UTC)

Three teams of disinformation researchers say Russian operatives most likely spread fake videos targeting candidates in the Texas Senate race. The videos targeted both Democratic and Republican candidates who had expressed support for Ukraine, including Senate candidate James Talarico. Researchers identified Storm-1516, a group backed by the Russian government, as the likely source. The group has previously been accused of similar propaganda campaigns. Researchers described the suspected operation as the most prominent example yet of a foreign effort to mislead voters ahead of the midterm elections. They say the videos were part of an apparent attempt to influence voters by targeting candidates across both major parties. The findings were reported by NBC News, with reporter Ryan Reilly covering the videos.