Feb 26, 2019 - World

U.S. military blocked Russian troll networks in 2018 midterms

In this image, three people stand behind three different white voting booths. Each booth has an American flag on it.

Photo: Atilgan Ozdil/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

The U.S. military shut down a troll operation orchestrated by the Kremlin-supported Internet Research Agency's networks during the 2018 midterms in an effort to curb election interference, according to officials interviewed by the Washington Post.

The big picture: The Internet Research Agency was one of three entities indicted by Robert Mueller for conspiring to interfere in the 2016 election. This action, described as a success by Pentagon officials, is the first of its kind by U.S. Cyber Command, which was granted more authority by the Trump administration last year. The U.S. blocked networks in order to prevent potential disinformation campaigns and election interference.

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