Russian legislator and 2 aides criminally charged in US

By ERIC TUCKER and LARRY NEUMEISTER
Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Authorities say a Russian legislator and two aides have been charged with conspiring to violate U.S. sanctions as they pushed a covert Russian propaganda campaign in the U.S. to win support for moves against Ukraine. Charges were contained in an indictment unsealed Thursday in Manhattan federal court. U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said the actions of Russian legislator Aleksandr Babakov show that Russia’s illegitimate actions against Ukraine extend beyond the battlefield. All three men named in the indictment are based in Russia and are not in custody. The foreign influence campaign allegedly took place between 2012 and 2017.