The Mueller indictments - here's which Russians were charged with interfering in the 2016 US election
AP Photo/Andrew Harnik
- The office of special counsel Robert Mueller charged 13 Russian nationals and three Russian companies on Friday for illegally interfering in the US political system.
- The charges directly targeted the Internet Research Agency, a Russian organization that employed "trolls" to sow discord about the election on social media.
- Read on to find out what you need to know about the people and companies involved.
Special counsel Robert Mueller's office charged 13 Russian nationals and the Internet Research Agency (IRA), a notorious Russian "troll factory," with violating US law and interfering in the 2016 election.
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein announced the indictments during a press conference on Friday.
"The defendants allegedly conducted what they called 'information warfare against the United States' with the stated goal of spreading distrust towards the candidates and the political system in general," Rosenstein said.
All the defendants were charged with one count of conspiracy to defraud the US; the IRA and two defendants were charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud; and the IRA and four defendants were charged with aggravated identity theft.
While the indictment sheds light on the elaborate and multi-faceted nature of Russia's social-media influence operation, it does not allege that any Americans knowingly collaborated with the effort. Rosenstein also said that the underlying conduct did not affect the outcome of the election.
Here's some background on the 13 individuals and three companies that Mueller's office charged:
- US buys 81 Soviet-era combat aircraft from Russia's ally costing on average less than $20,000 each, report says
- 2 states where home prices are falling because there are too many houses and not enough buyers
- A couple accidentally shipped their cat in an Amazon return package. It arrived safely 6 days later, hundreds of miles away.
- Markets rebound in early trade amid global rally, buying in ICICI Bank and Reliance
- Women in Leadership
- Rupee declines 5 paise to 83.43 against US dollar in early trade
- Election Commission issues notification for sixth phase of Lok Sabha polls
- 6 Coffee recipes you should try this summer
- JNK India IPO allotment date
- JioCinema New Plans
- Realme Narzo 70 Launched
- Apple Let Loose event
- Elon Musk Apology
- RIL cash flows
- Charlie Munger
- Feedbank IPO allotment
- Tata IPO allotment
- Most generous retirement plans
- Broadcom lays off
- Cibil Score vs Cibil Report
- Birla and Bajaj in top Richest
- Nestle Sept 2023 report
- India Equity Market