Ballot papers "destroyed"

Russia made fake video about fraud in US election

An election worker with a ballot paper for the US presidential election(Bild: APA/2024 Getty Images)

A video showing the alleged destruction of ballots cast for Donald Trump was created by Russia, according to the US authorities. The clip was distributed by tech billionaire and Trump supporter Elon Musk, among others. 

According to the FBI, Russia is trying to fuel doubts about the legitimacy of the US elections and divide Americans.

Allegedly tearing up ballot papers and insulting Trump
In the video, the hands of a person can be seen tearing open envelopes and inspecting the ballot papers inside. The votes cast for Trump are then torn up and the ex-president is insulted.

The fake video can be seen here:

Real envelopes and ballots look different
The video was allegedly recorded in Bucks County in the contested US state of Pennsylvania - but the local election authority immediately pointed out that both the envelopes and the ballot papers do not correspond to those actually used.

Russia wants to divide the USA
The FBI and the Office of Intelligence Coordinator Avril Haines believe that the video was created by "Russian actors" and distributed online. They referred to information available to them and previous activities. Russia is trying to fuel doubts about the legitimacy of the US elections and divide Americans.

Pennsylvania is one of the US states that could decide the outcome of the election. A total of 270 votes from electors from different states are needed to win the White House. In Pennsylvania, 19 electoral votes are at stake. Democratic candidate Kamala Harris and Republican Trump are running neck-and-neck in the polls ahead of the election on November 5.