Twitter bots, either controlled or amplified by the Russian intelligence services, are going into overdrive to spread messages of fear and anger over the civil strife in Wisconsin, Oregon, and elsewhere. It appears that, in the escalating street violence and civil-society tensions, Russia has found the centerpiece of its 2020 election interference campaign.

Consider events of the past two weeks. We’ve seen what happened when rioters and an armed white teenager met in Wisconsin — two people are dead, and the teenager will go on trial for murder. We’ve seen police officers shoot and paralyze a black man who was resisting arrest. We’ve seen vitriolic exchanges between President Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, each blaming the other for the rising chaos. All of this sits within a broader polarization over policing, race relations, and national identity, fitting also within the societal, economic, and psychological pressures of the coronavirus pandemic.