How Russia is reacting to the U.S. presidential race

RUSSIA. NBC NEWS ANALYZING HOURS OF RUSSIAN TV COVERAGE OF THE DEBATE THIS WEEK TO SEE WHAT MESSAGE STATE MEDIA DELIVERED TO THE PUBLIC. ALL THIS IS RUSSIAN PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN ISSUES A STERN WARNING TO THE U.S. ABOUT ARMING UKRAINE. CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT KEIR SIMMONS HAS THE STORY. >> Reporter: PRESIDENT PUTIN WITH A NOW FAMILIAR MORNING TO THE WEST, SAYING IN A TELEVISION INTERVIEW, IF WASHINGTON APPROVES UKRAINE'S USE OF LONG-RANGE WEAPONS, IT WILL BE AT WAR WITH MOSCOW. BUT IN THE NEW YEAR, THE RUSSIAN LEADER WILL CONTEND WITH A NEW U.S. PRESIDENT, AND WHO IT IS MATTERS DEEPLY TO THE KREMLIN. >> THAT IS A WAR THAT IS DYING TO BE SETTLED. I WILL GET A SOLO BEFORE I EVEN BECOME PRESIDENT. >> PUTIN'S AGENDA IS NOT JUST ABOUT UKRAINE. >> Reporter: NOT SURPRISINGLY, THE U.S. ELECTION IS GETTING LOTS OF ATTENTION ON RUSSIAN STATE MEDIA. NBC WATCHED HOURS OF COVERAGE OF THIS WEEK'S DEBATES. ONE SEGMENT WAS DEVOTED ENTIRELY TO TAYLOR SWIFT'S ENDORSEMENT OF VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS, ANOTHER SPENT FIVE MINUTES LOOKING AT POSTDEBATE MEANS. -- MEMES. BUT SOME MAYBE THIS PRIZE IS SOME TOLD THE RUSSIAN AUDIENCE THAT KAMALA HARRIS HAD WON. FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP WAS UNDISCIPLINED AND OVERCONFIDENT, SAID THIS HOSE, WHO HAS BEEN INDICTED BY THE U.S. FOR ALLEGEDLY VIOLATING SANCTIONS, A CLAIM A RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT SPOKESPERSON HAS DENIED. THE KREMLIN SAYS IT IS NOT TAKING SIDES, AND MUCH OF STATE MEDIA IS REFLECTING THAT GOVERNMENT LINE. BUT ON THE STREETS OF MOSCOW TODAY, OUR TEAM FOUND A VERY DIFFERENT VIEW. MOST ORDINARY MUSCOVITES TOLD US THEY THINK TRUMP WILL BE BETTER FOR RUSSIA. THE ONE WOMAN CALLED TRUMP UNPLEASANT AND SAID SHE IS ROOTING FOR A FEMALE PRESIDENT. RUSSIANS OPINION OF YOU WAS SELECTIONS ARE MOST OF ALL INFLUENCED BY THE WAR IN UKRAINE. TRUMP IS OUR GOD. HE PROMISED TO PUT AN END TO THE WAR SOONER, THIS WOMAN SAYS. THE U.S. DATA ANALYTICS COMPANY, FILTER LABS, STUDIES RUSSIAN STATE MEDIA, AS WELL AS SOCIAL MEDIA AND CHANNELS USED BY MANY RUSSIANS LIKE TELEGRAM. >> RUSSIANS, IN GENERAL, ARE CLOSELY FOLLOWING ELECTIONS. THEY KNOW FAR MORE ABOUT DONALD TRUMP THAN -- AND THE VOLUME OF DISCOURSE ON TRUMP IN RUSSIAN MEDIA AND SOCIAL MEDIA AND THAT TOWARDS THAT OF HARRIS. >> Reporter: THEY GO THROUGH THOUSANDS A POST USING A.I. AND RUSSIAN EXPERTS. THE FINDINGS ECHO WHAT RUSSIANS HAVE TOLD US. >> ONE THING WE SAW, PARTICULARLY OVER THE LAST FEW WEEKS, WAS THIS SURGE OF SUPPORT FOR J.D. VANCE IN RUSSIA, BECAUSE OF THE PERCEPTION, RIGHTLY SO, THAT HE IS GOING TO BE MORE CRITICAL TOWARDS THE U.S. SUPPORT OF UKRAINE. >> Reporter: AN OVERVIEW EXPRESSED BY RUSSIANS AND THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT ALIKE IS THAT IT DOESN'T MATTER WHO WINS. AMERICA'S NEXT PRESIDENT WILL BE WORKING TO SOLVE THE PROBLEMS OF THEIR OWN COUNTRY, SAYS ONE, THOUGH EVEN THAT VIEW FITS WITH RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT TALKING POINTS. THIS WEEK THE FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESWOMAN COMPARED AMERICA TO THE TITANIC. ON THE MATTER OF WHO WON THE DEBATE, SHE SAID THEY WERE 15 MINUTES FROM THE ICEBERG. THAT IS WHAT THE KREMLIN HOPES FOR. ITS CONTINUING FOCUS ON AMERICAN POLITICS SUGGESTS IT KNOWS IT MAY BE DISAPPOINTED. >> KEIR SIMMONS JOINS US NOW. THIS IS EYE-OPENING IMPORTANT REPORTING. THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION TODAY ACCUSED RUSSIAN STATE TV OF WAGING "COVERT INFORMATION WARFARE" AROUND THE WORLD. THE ANNOUNCED MORE SANCTIONS. WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THAT? >> Reporter: THAT'S RIGHT. ONCE AGAIN, THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION ACCUSING THE RUSSIAN NETWORK, RT, OF BEING AN ARM OF RUSSIAN INTELLIGENCE. IT HAS ALREADY INDICTED TWO WORKERS, PRODUCERS, ACCUSING THEM OF FUNNELING $10 MILLION TOWARDS AN INTERNET OPERATION IN THE U.S. WITH THE AIM, IT APPEARS, OF TRYING TO INFLUENCE AMERICAN VOTERS BEFORE THE ELECTION. I GUESS WHAT MAKES IT SURPRISING WITH WHAT WE ARE SEEING INSIDE RUSSIA IN THAT CONTEXT IS THAT SOME OF THE REPORTING INSIDE RUSSIA IS FAIRLY STRAIGHTFORWARD. IT IS SIMPLY SAYING WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THE ELECTION. EXCEPT, AS I SAID IN THE REPORT, WHEN IT COMES TO UKRAINE, AT THAT POINT, THE OPINIONS SHIFT VERY HARD TOWARDS ANY U.S. POLITICIAN PREPARED TO EVEN GIVE A GLIMMER THAT THEY MIGHT BE SOFT ON UKRAINE, IF YOU WANT TO CALL IT THAT. AS I SAID, THAT DOES REFLECT THE VIEWS OF THE RUSSIAN PEOPLE. CERTAINLY WHAT WE KNOW FROM POLAND ABOUT WHAT THE RUSSIANS