According to sources Russian President Vladimir Putin asked in the often-combative interview with NBC television that the leading US intelligence agencies concluded in 2017 that Putin personally directed an intelligence effort to influence the 2016 US presidential election to undermine Democrat Hillary Clinton's campaign and boost Republican Donald Trump.
Earlier in February 2018, US Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who is conducting a widespread probe into Russia's role in the campaign, indicted 13 Russian nationals and three Russian companies for allegedly backing Trump, maligning Clinton, and engaging in other election interference. Putin said "So what if they're Russians?". They do not represent the interests of the Russian state. "Maybe," Putin said, "they are not even Russians but Ukrainians, Tatars or Jews, but with Russian citizenship, which should also be checked; maybe they have dual citizenship or a green card; maybe the US paid them for this."
Moreover the Russian efforts however are said to go far beyond US
elections: US General Curtis Scaparrotti, the commander of NATO forces in
Europe, told US lawmakers on Thursday that Russia is working to break up the
NATO alliance partly through its online operations spreading false information.
