Sept 17 (Reuters) - A false claim circulating on social

media that Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris left

a 13-year-old girl paralyzed after an alleged hit-and-run in San

Francisco in 2011 is the work of a covert Russian disinformation

operation, according to new research by Microsoft ( MSFT ).

Researchers found that the operation created a video, paid

an actor to appear as the alleged victim, and spread the claim

through a fake website for a non-existent San Francisco news

outlet named "KBSF-TV". The Russian group responsible, which

Microsoft ( MSFT ) dubs Storm-1516, is described as a Kremlin-aligned

troll farm.

The discovery is a sign of Russia ramping up its foreign

influence efforts ahead of the Nov. 5 presidential election,

Microsoft ( MSFT ) said.

A spokesperson for the Russian embassy in Washington did not

respond to a request for comment.

"Russian influence operations initially struggled to pivot

operations aimed at the Democratic campaign following President

Biden's departure from the U.S. 2024 presidential race," a blog

published on Tuesday by Microsoft ( MSFT ) said.

"In late August, however, elements of prolific Russian actor

Storm-1516 began producing content implicating Vice President

Harris and Governor Walz in outlandish fake conspiracy

theories," Microsoft ( MSFT ) said, referring to Harris' running mate,

Tim Walz.

Storm-1516 is known for producing misleading videos

featuring on-screen or voice actors who impersonate

whistleblowers or journalists that share false, scandalous

information, experts say.

A website for KBSF-TV was created shortly before publishing

its first related article about the alleged driving incident,

according to online registration records. The claim was

circulated on social media platforms, including X.com, using the

hashtag #HitAndRunKamala.

The video was also shared on Sept. 3 on X.com by Aussie

Cossack, who describes himself as a "Registered foreign agent

for Sputnik News," with the message "make this go viral MAGA

folks." In total, it is estimated the video has been viewed more

than 2.7 million times.

"Many entities within the pro-Russian ecosystem advanced the

video and its claims," said Microsoft's ( MSFT ) Threat Analysis Center.

"Storm-1516 relies on some of these personalities, such as

Aussie Cossack, to drive amplification of its videos."

Cossack did not immediately respond to a request for

comment.

Earlier this month the U.S. Justice Department filed

money-laundering charges against two employees of Russian state

media network RT for what officials said was a scheme to hire an

American company to produce online content to influence the

election.

U.S. officials say Russia's goal is to exacerbate U.S.

political divisions and weaken public support for American

military aid to Ukraine. Harris says if elected she will

continue supporting Ukraine in its defence against Russia's

invasion.