Vladimir Putin uses Kamala Harris' "endorsement" to sabotage the US presidential contest.

When US Vice President Kamala Harris announced her support for the Democratic nominee for president on Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin drew attention with some oddly timed remarks of flattery.

"Mr. [Joe] Biden, the president of the United States, was our 'favorite,' if you can call him that. However, he was disqualified from the contest and advised all of his followers to back Ms. Harris. "Well, we will support her - we will do so," Putin declared on Thursday in Vladivostok during the Eastern Economic Forum. "She laughs so infectiously and expressively, which indicates that she's doing well."

Vladimir Trump, the Republican nominee this year, has drawn criticism from Putin as well for imposing "so many restrictions and sanctions against Russia like no other president has ever introduced before him."

Putin's remarks follow the announcement of broad sanctions by the Biden administration in an attempt to counteract disinformation efforts supported by the Russian government aimed at influencing the 2024 elections and strengthening Trump's candidacy.

Furthermore, US Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco stated on Wednesday that three Russian companies used fictitious profiles to spread false narratives on social media at Putin's direction, despite the Russian president's outspoken support for the Democrats. An FBI affidavit reveals that one of the objectives of the propaganda effort was to promote Trump's candidacy or the candidacy of the Republican nominee for president, based on internal documents created by one of those Russian companies. What then is Putin attempting to achieve?

Putin is merely agitating US domestic politics, if history is any indication. Putin hailed Trump in December 2015, declaring him the front-runner even before the businessman won the Republican nomination. Putin described Trump as "an outstanding and talented personality," adding, "He is a bright and talented person without a doubt."

Was Putin aware of any information regarding the US presidential election of 2016 that the pollsters were not? No, but the head of the Kremlin didn't go far in hiding his distaste for Hillary Clinton, the presumed Democratic nominee at the time. Furthermore, Putin did not conceal his delight when hacked Democratic National Committee emails surfaced shortly before the DNC.

Putin refuted claims that the Russian government was involved in the hack, despite strong criticism from US officials that Russia was to blame. "The important thing is the content that was given to the public," he said in September 2016 at the same forum, praising the leak as a kind of voter service.

The embarrassing discovery in the stolen emails that Democratic officials treated Clinton better was that content.

To put it another way, the entire DNC hack incident validated the Kremlin's belief that American democracy is a farce, one in which power is the only thing that matters, decisions are made in smoke-filled rooms, and it is hypocritical to lecture nations like Russia about upholding democracy and human rights.

Putin's assessment of the American political system becomes even more apparent when we consider a comment made by political journalist Mikhail Zygar, a Russian exile and author of "All the Kremlin's Men." Zygar stated that Putin even suggested the darkly cynical television show "House of Cards" to his ministers because he loved it.

Zygar remarked in an interview, "That's his textbook on American politics." It's also plausible that Putin was merely making fun of Harris by winking in response to Trump's constant criticism of her laugh. Thus, if one were to analyze Putin's perspective on US election politics through the prism of "House of Cards," then Putin's endorsement of Harris could be compared to a move made by Frank Underwood, where the recipient feels poisoned by the endorsement.