Russians charged over US 2016 election tampering

Thirteen Russians have been charged with interfering in the US 2016 election, in a major development in the FBI investigation.

Three of those named have also been accused of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and five have been accused of aggravated identity theft. The announcement was made by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating alleged Russian meddling. Three Russian companies are also named in the indictment. One of them is the Internet Research Agency, based in St Petersburg, which the 37-page indictment said "had a strategic goal to sow discord in the US political system, including the 2016 US presidential election". Speaking at a news conference, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein said there was no allegation that any American was "a knowing participant in this illegal activity" nor was it alleged that the meddling altered the election outcome. Russia has repeatedly denied interfering in the US presidential election.

What does the indictment say?

It says a group of Russians:

• Posed as Americans, and opened financial accounts in their name
• Spent thousands of dollars a month buying political advertising
• Purchased US server space in an effort to hide their Russian affiliation
• Organised and promoted political rallies within the United States
• Posted political messages on social media accounts that impersonated real US citizens
• Promoted information that disparaged Hillary Clinton
• Received money from clients to post on US social media sites
• Created themed groups on social media on hot-button issues, particularly on Facebook and Instagram
• Operated with a monthly budget of as much as $1.25m (£890,000)
• Financed the building of a cage large enough to hold an actress portraying Hillary Clinton in a prison uniform

Courtesy: BBC