MOSCOW (AP) — The Kremlin has dismissed a U.S. indictment that charged 13 Russians with interfering in the 2016 U.S. presidential election as lacking evidence.
The indictment handed Friday by a federal grand jury alleges that a wealthy entrepreneur with close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin funneled money to a so-called “troll farm,” which sent operatives to the United States, created fictitious social media accounts and used them to spread tendentious messages. The aim was either to influence voters or to undermine their faith in the U.S. political system.
Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Monday that while the indictment focuses on “Russian nationals” it gives “no indication that the Russian government was involved in this in any way.” Peskov insisted that Moscow did not meddle in the U.S. election.
