SAN FRANCISCO, April 17 (Reuters) - Microsoft ( MSFT ) said on

Wednesday that Russian online campaigns to influence the

upcoming U.S. presidential election kicked into gear over the

past 45 days, but at a slower pace than in past elections.

Russia-linked accounts are disseminating divisive content

aimed at U.S. audiences, including criticising American support

of Ukraine in its war with Russia, researchers at the tech giant

said in a report.

The Russian embassy in Washington did not respond to a

request for comment, but the Kremlin said last month it would

not meddle in the November U.S. election. It also dismissed U.S.

allegations that it orchestrated campaigns to sway the 2016 and

2020 U.S. presidential elections.

While the Russian activity Microsoft ( MSFT ) observed is not as

intense as around the previous elections, it could increase in

the coming months, the researchers said.

"Messaging regarding Ukraine - via traditional media and

social media - picked up steam over the last two months with a

mix of covert and overt campaigns from at least 70

Russia-affiliated activity sets we track," Microsoft ( MSFT ) said.

The most prolific of such Russian campaigns is linked to

Russia's Presidential Administration, they added. Another one is

aimed at posting disinformation online in various languages,

with posts typically starting with an apparent whistleblower or

citizen journalist posting content on a video channel. That

content is then covered by a network of websites that include DC

Weekly, Miami Chronical and The Intel Drop.

"Ultimately, after the narrative has circulated online for a

series of days or weeks, U.S. audiences repeat and repost this

disinformation, likely unaware of its original source,"

Microsoft ( MSFT ) said.

A "notable uptick" has been seen in hacking by a Russian

group Microsoft ( MSFT ) calls Star Blizzard, or Cold River, which is

focused on targeting western think tanks, the company said.

"Star Blizzard's current focus on U.S. political figures and

policy circles may be the first in a series of hacking campaigns

meant to drive Kremlin outcomes headed into November."

Malicious use of artificial intelligence by foreign rivals

targeting the U.S. election is a key concern cited by American

political observers, but Microsoft ( MSFT ) said it found that simpler

digital forgeries were more common than deepfakes. Audio

manipulations have a bigger impact than video, it added.

"Rarely have nation-states' employments of generative

AI-enabled content achieved much reach across social media, and

in only a few cases have we seen any genuine audience deception

from such content," the researchers said.

"The simplest manipulations, not the most complex employment

of AI, will likely be the pieces of content that have the most

impact."