U.S. officials have also assessed that the Internet Research Agency works on behalf of the Kremlin. The Internet Research Agency as early as 2014 and continuing through the 2016 presidential election sought to undermine the U.S. political system, according to the Justice Department. The agency, according to federal prosecutors, is financed by Yevgeniy Prigozhin, a tycoon from St. Petersburg and an ally of Putin. Some Internet Research Agency officials were so perturbed by the messaging that they launched an internal investigation to root out what they thought were insiders leaking personnel information, according to two individuals. Two new U.S. authorities facilitated the move against the Internet Research Agency.

Source: Washington Post February 26, 2019 16:41 UTC