Thomas Kent (International Affairs) published an article for the Jamestown Foundation on the U.S. State Department’s direct text messages to Russian citizens, asking for information on interference in US elections:

They came from the department’s “Rewards for Justice Program” which had just expanded from hunting terrorists to tracking election interference. Russian authorities ridiculed the messages. But their reaction suggested they saw something more sinister. “By offering money to talk about interference in American elections, American intelligence is blatantly interfering in our life” declared Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “What is thisif not the most real kind of hybrid attack?” (Vedomosti, August 6).”