Support The Moscow Times!

Belarus Detains Russian Accused of U.S. Election Meddling

tut.by

A Russian national indicted in the United States for meddling in the country’s 2016 presidential election was briefly detained in Belarus, the state-run RIA Novosti news agency reported Tuesday.

U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller in 2018 charged 13 Russians and three companies for allegedly carrying out a sophisticated, years-long conspiracy to meddle in the 2016 U.S. election. Anna Bogacheva, identified as an Internet Research Agency (IRA) translator and data analyst, was one of the 13 indicted Russians.

The Russian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday confirmed her detention. She was later released, Interfax cited the Russian embassy as saying.

Bogacheva was on vacation with her husband and child when she was detained, RIA Novosti cited an unnamed source as saying.

She was detained late Sunday at a hotel in the Belarussian capital of Minsk late at the request of the U.S., RIA Novosti cited the source as saying. Bogacheva reportedly contacted the Russian Consulate in Minsk after her detention.

The U.S. placed Bogacheva on two election-meddling sanctions lists last year for her ties to the IRA, commonly known as a Russian troll farm.

Mueller’s investigation into election meddling accused the IRA of setting up social media pages, stealing Americans’ identities and buying political ads. The U.S. probe also accused the IRA of staging rallies and working to “sow discord in the U.S. political system.”

… 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