U.S. sanctions 2 Russian officers for election interference
WASHINGTON (AA) -The U.S. has sanctioned two Russian intelligence officers accused of interfering in elections.
A Treasury Department statement said Russian officials played a role in influencing a local election and distorting the poll process.
Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) officers Yegor Sergeyevich Popov and Aleksei Borisovich Sukhodolov were also involved in a global campaign against the conduct of elections.
Popov works in the FSB as a second service officer and is accused of being the main contact of Aleksandr Viktorovich Ionov, a Russian citizen.
Ionov was indicted in April in a U.S. court for election interference.
Brian Nelson, the senior U.S. official for financial intelligence, said the Kremlin continues to attack free and fair elections around the world.
“The Kremlin continues to target a key pillar of democracy around the world — free and fair elections,” he said.
“The United States will not tolerate threats to our democracy, and today’s action builds on the whole of government approach to protect our system of representative government, including our democratic institutions and elections processes,” he added.
The Justice Department alleged that Ionov tried to recruit members of political groups in the U.S.
The groups included the African People’s Socialist Party (APSP), the Uhuru movement in Florida, Black Hammer in Georgia, and a political group in California.
In addition to Ionov, four U.S. citizens residing in Florida were also indicted on charges of conducting an influence-peddling operation and acting as Russian government agents in the U.S.
The department did not specify in which election the officers are accused of meddling, but the Justice Department alleged in April’s criminal case that Ionov sought to recruit political group members in the U.S., including the African People’s Socialist Party (APSP), the Uhuru Movement in Florida, Black Hammer in Georgia and a political group in California.
Four US citizens who resided in Florida were indicted alongside Ionov on charges related to conducting an influence operation and serving as a Russian government agent in the US.
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