What began as a Cold War-like attack by an old adversary would mix old-fashioned political agitation with 21st century social media tools that ultimately roiled the election and shook America's political landscape.
The indictment of 13 Russians by special counsel Robert Mueller Friday revealed that the now well-documented Russian social media campaign also relied on extensive intelligence work by operatives on U.S. soil. It also began earlier than commonly believed, first aiming to "sow discord" ahead of the 2016 election and later to boost Trump's candidacy.
The indictment does not specifically tie the influence operation to Russia's intelligence apparatus. Instead, it fingers a group of operatives working for a unit called the "organization," financed to the tune of millions of dollars by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a St. Petersburg businessman dubbed "Putin's chef" because his restaurants have catered dinners for the Kremlin leader and foreign dignitaries.
Source : sfgate
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