The US has filed criminal charges against a US-Russian dual national who is accused of engaging in a decade-long Russian influence campaign based in New York City.
Elena Branson, 61, faces six charges over allegations that she failed to register as a foreign agent. The FBI agent in charge of the case says she worked with high-ranking Russian officials, including Putin himself, “to identify the next generation of American leaders, cultivate information channels, and shape US policy in favour of Russian objectives”.
Prosecutors say Branson fled to Russia after being interviewed by the FBI in September 2020. She remains at large, and in October 2021 allegedly told a Russian state-owned TV station that she left because she thought she would be arrested.
“Particularly given current global events, the need to detect and hinder attempts at foreign influence is of critical importance,” US District Attorney for Manhattan Damian Williams said in a statement announcing the charges on Tuesday.
