Support The Moscow Times!

These Are the Russians Accused of Meddling in the 2016 Election

FBI Director Robert Mueller Dennis Brack / Bloomberg News

(Bloomberg) — Special Counsel Robert Mueller charged 13 Russians and three companies with a sophisticated, years-long conspiracy to meddle in the 2016 U.S. election. 

Working through a Russian organization called the Internet Research Agency, they set up social media pages, stole Americans’ identities, bought political ads, staged rallies and worked to “sow discord in the U.S. political system.” None of the individuals are in custody.

This is who Mueller charged, with details from the indictment:

Internet Research Agency LLC — a Russian company that runs influence campaigns on behalf of the Kremlin Concord Management and Consulting LLC and Concord Catering — related Russian businesses with Russian government contracts that served as the primary funding source for the Internet Research Agency.

  1. Yevgeniy Viktorovich Prigozhin — a Russian businessman, known as "Putin’s Cook" for catering state dinners with foreign dignitaries, who was head of the Concord companies. He and his companies allegedly financed the Internet Research Agency.
  2. Mikhail Ivanovich Bystrov — the director of the Internet Research Agency
  3. Mikhail Leonidovich Burchik — the second-highest ranking director of the Internet Research Agency
  4. Aleksandra Yuryevna Krylova — the third-highest ranking employee in the company
  5. Sergey Pavlovich Polozov — an employee who managed the IT department and bought U.S. servers to mask the company’s location in Russia when conducting operations in the U.S.
  6. Anna Vladislavovna Bogacheva — an employee who served as a translator and oversaw data analysis.
  7. Maria Anatolyevna Bovda — an employee who worked on translations.
  8. Robert Sergeyevich Bovda — a manager of translations.
  9. Dzheykhun Nasimi Ogly — head of translations.
  10. Vadim Vladimirovich Podkopaev — a translator who also worked on U.S.-focused research and creation of social media content.
  11. Gleb Igorevich Vasilchenko — an employee who oversaw posting, monitoring and updating social media content for accounts controlled by the organization.
  12. Irina Viktorovna Kaverzina — a translator who operated multiple U.S. personas used to post social media content.
  13. Vladimir Venkov — a translator who also operated U.S. personas that posted social media content

… we have a small favor to ask.

As you may have heard, The Moscow Times, an independent news source for over 30 years, has been unjustly branded as a "foreign agent" by the Russian government. This blatant attempt to silence our voice is a direct assault on the integrity of journalism and the values we hold dear.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. Our commitment to providing accurate and unbiased reporting on Russia remains unshaken. But we need your help to continue our critical mission.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just 2. It's quick to set up, and you can be confident that you're making a significant impact every month by supporting open, independent journalism. Thank you.

Continue

Read more