THIRTEEN Russian nationals and three companies have been indicted for alleged interference with the 2016 US presidential election, in a campaign of ‘information warfare’.

According to the unsealed 37-page indictment, the accused — members of St Petersburg-based company internet Research Agency LLC — conspired to interfere “with the US political and electoral processes, including the presidential election of 2016”.

US Special Counsel Robert Mueller states that the group posed as Americans and controlled social media accounts that focused on divisive social and political issues, using computer systems based in America to hide the Russian origin of their activities.

Charges include conspiracy, wire fraud, bank fraud and aggravated identity theft. Under the management of Yevgeny Prigozhin, a close ally of Vladimir Putin known as “Putin’s chief”, the group reached “significant numbers” of Americans, according to the indictment.

They had a “strategic goal to sow discord in the US political system” and by mid-2016 were supporting Donald Trump’s campaign and disparaging Hillary Clinton.

The conspiracy had a budget of US$1.25 million per month during the height of the campaign.

“Defendants operations included supporting the presidential campaign on then-candidate Donald J. Trump and disparaging Hillary Clinton,” according to the indictment.

“Specialists were instructed to post content [on social media] that focused on politics in the USA and to use any opportunity to criticise Hillary and the rest except Sanders and Trump — we support them,” a part of the 37-page indictment reads.

The indictment also said that some defendants “communicated with unwitting individuals associated with the Trump campaign” without disclosing their links with Russia.

Justice said the individuals were given more than $1 million by a Russian who is a close ally of President Vladimir Putin to fund the anti-Clinton campaign.

In a press conference, US Deputy Attorney-General Rod Rosenstein said the indictment includes no allegation of Russian meddling altered the outcome of the presidential election.

The group was based in Mr Putin’s home town of St Petersburg, but some of the accused travelled to the United States.

Stops included Nevada, California, New Mexico, Colorado, Illinois, Michigan, Louisiana, Texas, Georgia and New York.

An unnamed Texas-based American political operative is said to have instructed them to focus on so-called “purple states” which swing between Republican and Democratic control.

“Hundreds” of people were said to have been involved in the operation, working in shifts and with a budget of millions of dollars.

They allegedly targeted social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram.

Two of the firms are said to have Russian government contracts.

A Russian businessman known as “Putin’s chef” who was indicted Friday by federal prosecutors says, “Americans are very impressionable people.” He says he’s not upset to be named in the indictment. he was quoted by Russia’s state news agency as saying Americans “see what they want to see.”

Moscow has dismissed the US indictments for election meddling as “absurd”.

Indicted them when they're in Russia? Pointless.
Disparage Hillary Clinton? She did fine on her own.