Elena Alekseevna Khusyaynova (Russian:Елена Алексеевна Хусяйнова) is a Russianaccountant based inSaint Petersburg who was charged in September 2018 withconspiracy to defraud the United States byinterfering in the 2016 and2018 U.S. elections.[1] She is accused of managing the finances of "Project Lakhta", a $35 million social media operation that used fakeTwitter,Facebook and other profiles to spread misinformation and discord.[1] The crimes are alleged to have occurred from 2014 to 2018.[2] Khusyaynova reacted to the indictment with irony about the ability of "a simple Russian woman" to "help the citizens of asuperpower to elect their president".[3]
Project Lakhta was conducted by theInternet Research Agency and funded by variousConcord Catering affiliates, under the direction ofRussian oligarchYevgeny Prigozhin. All were previously charged with related offenses as part of theMueller special counsel investigation.[1] The case was filed in theUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia by theUnited States Department of Justice with assistance from theFederal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The charges were not filed by the Special Counsel's office because the associated activities also related to the 2018 elections, which were out ofMueller'sjurisdiction.[4]
Khusyaynova is also thechief financial officer ofUSA Really, a conspiratorial website run by a Russian media executive and Kremlin policy adviser.[5]