The IRA Ramps Up U.S. Operations As Early As 2014

¶The IRA's U .S. operations sought to influence public opinion through online media and f01ums. B the spring of 2014, the IRA began to consolid · · ns within ·I • •

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subdivided the Translator Depaii ment into different I'•

¶responsibilities, ranging from operations on different social media platfonns to analytics to

¶From 2014 through 2017, Aslanov headed the IRA's Translator Deprutment. See SM-2230634, se1i als 131 & 204.

See SM-2230634, serial 156. Internet Research Agency Indictment ,r

¶; see also 5/26/ 16 Facebook Messages, ID 1479936895656747 (United Muslims of America) &

¶5/26/ 16 Facebook Messages, ID 173996283023459 (Black Matters) & · ' , (bl (])(Al (b l (])(El (bl (61 (bl (7XC) see also SM-2230634, serial 189. (Eugene is the English fo1m of the Russian name Yevgemy, Pngozhin' s first name).

¶graphics and IT.

¶In 2014, employees within IRA's man agement began to create and share internal IRA documents (described as a "manual") outlining the goals and strategies of its U.S operations. The document, titled "Waging Infon nation Warfare Against the United States,"³³³³ The Office recovered multiple chapters and editions of this manual, including pieces that had been translated into English and Spanish. See SM-2230634, se1ial 205. presented the IRA's operations as a counterbalan ce against U.S. foreign policy an d as "info1mation war" by targeting U.S. and other foreign audiences through online media. In an other internal document, U.S. operations were described as targeting the U.S. audience with "demotivator" content that would unde1mine confidence in the U.S. government and political system.³⁴³⁴ See SM-2230634, serial 204 (analyzing recovered IRA documents).

¶Attorney Work Product// May Contain Material Protected Under Fed. R. Crim. P. 6(e)

The manual and organizational chaiis show a structure that divided the operations into different groups. One version of the IRA manual included a diagram of the IRA's structure.35 In general, these documents show a management team, a subordinate group of analysts and administr·ators, depaiiments focused on different media platfonns (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc.), and suppo1iing graphics and IT depaiiments. An additional group ofIRA employees tai·geted U.S. audiences through Instagram accounts. 36

Another document, dated May 2014 and titled "General Su-ategy in Accordance with Basic Subject Matter," included the following passage:

General premise: The next US elections ai·e in 2016. Democrats -Hillaiy Clinton. Republicans -there is no obvious favorite candidate. Goals: to spread distrust towards the candidates and the political system in general.

Whom will the Hispanic vote suppo1i?

Lack of confidence in Clinton as the wife of Bill Clinton (past scandals, play on personal life);

A fight to change the political system;
All the primai·ies are purchasable. The oligai·chs mle eveiything.37

IRA employees also tr·aveled to the United States on intelligence-gathering missions. In June 2014, four IRA employees applied to the U.S. Depaiiment of State to enter the United States, while lying about the pmpose of their tr·ip and claiming to be four friends who had met at a pai·ty. 38 Ultimately, two IRA employees-Anna Bogacheva and Aleksandra Kiylova-received visas and entered the United States on June 4, 2014.

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¶35 3/2/15 Email, [Redacted: (b) (7)(A), (b) (7)(E), (b) (3)] (attachment) (translated).

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37 5/15/14 Email, [Redacted: (b) (7)(A), (b) (7)(E), (b) (3)] (attachment). See SM-2230634, serials 150 & 172 (documenting U.S. Department of Homeland Security and

¶U.S. Department of State records).