In shift, Russians now targeting conservative think tanks

The Russian military intelligence unit that sought to influence the 2016 election appears to have a new target: conservative American think tanks that have broken with President Trump and are seeking continued sanctions against Moscow, exposing oligarchs, or pressing for human rights.

In a report scheduled for release on Tuesday, Microsoft Corp. said that it detected and seized websites that were created in recent weeks by hackers linked to the Russian unit formerly known as the GRU. The sites appeared meant to trick people into thinking they were clicking through links managed by the Hudson Institute and the International Republican Institute. The people were secretly redirected to Web pages created by the hackers to steal passwords and other credentials.

Microsoft also found websites imitating the US Senate, but not specific Senate offices or political campaigns.

The shift to attacking conservative think tanks underscores the Russian intelligence agency’s goals: to disrupt any institutions challenging Moscow and Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin.

The Hudson Institute has promoted programs examining the rise of kleptocracy in governments around the world, with Russia as a prime target. The International Republican Institute, which receives some funding from the State Department and the US Agency for International Development, has worked for decades in promoting democracy around the world.