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Documents disclosed in September by the U.S. Department of Justice included one internal plan for Kremlin political strategists to promote a social media campaign to help secure the victory of “US Political Party A” in the presidential elections as its views include “provisions on peace in Ukraine in exchange for territories” as well as “returning troops home from all over the world etc.” Internal Kremlin documents make clear that Political Party A is the Republican Party.

“They have a clear preference for Trump to win. He’s more open to forcing Ukraine to concede and make some disadvantageous deal with Russia to end the war,” said Eric Ciaramella, a former White House official now at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. “They see him as much more likely to cut off support to Ukraine and as much more likely to damage America’s image abroad.”

Putin would not be satisfied until the United States agrees to rebuild relations with Russia in a way that makes concessions to Moscow’s security concerns and redraws the global security map. Until then, Russia will continue to try to stoke chaos to weaken the United States, Stanovaya said.

Indeed, post-election chaos would greatly benefit Moscow, said the former Kremlin official. “The worse it is in the U.S., the better,” he said.