The US District Court for the Southern District of New York. EPA
The US District Court for the Southern District of New York. EPA
The US District Court for the Southern District of New York. EPA
The US District Court for the Southern District of New York. EPA

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Dual citizen charged with acting as illegal Russian agent in US

Elena Branson faces six criminal counts for activities in US before 2020 departure

The National

March 08, 2022

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A dual Russian-US citizen has been charged with acting as an illegal agent of the Russian government, federal prosecutors in New York said on Tuesday.

Elena Branson faces six criminal counts over an allegation by prosecutors that she failed to register with the US government as a foreign government agent, said a statement from US Attorney in Manhattan Damian Williams.

Ms Branson, said the US Department of Justice's Southern District of New York, had “worked on behalf of the Russian government and Russian officials to advance Russian interests in the United States, including by co-ordinating meetings for Russian officials to lobby US political officials and business persons and by operating organisations in the United States for the purpose of publicly promoting Russian government policies".

The Southern District of New York said the FBI interviewed Ms Branson in September 2020, when she told agents she had never been asked by Russian officials to co-ordinate meetings with US officials.

Ms Branson left the US for Russia after that meeting. She appeared on a Russian television programme in 2021 and admitted that she had left the US in fear of arrest.

Prosecutors said she remains at large.

The charges coincide with the US seeking to put pressure on Russian through increasing economic sanctions due to its invasion of Ukraine.

Prosecutors said Ms Branson received tens of thousands of dollars in funding from the Russian government to run an organisation called the Russian Centre New York, which organised the “I Love Russia” campaign in the US and promoted Russian history and culture to US youths.

They also said she is “alleged to have corresponded with [Russian President Vladimir] Putin himself and met with a high-ranking Russia minister” in preparation of those efforts.

The organisation also lobbied officials in the state of Hawaii to not change the name of a formerly Russian fort on the island of Kauai and organised a trip for Hawaiian officials to Moscow to meet Russian officials, prosecutors said.

Such activity is not by itself illegal, but US lobbyists for foreign governments are required to disclose their affiliation to the US Department of Justice.

“Particularly given current global events, the need to detect and hinder attempts at foreign influence is of critical importance,” Mr Williams said in the statement.

A Ukrainian serviceman walks past the vertical tail fin of a Russian Su-34 bomber lying in a damaged building in Kharkiv, Ukraine. AP Photo
A Ukrainian serviceman walks past the vertical tail fin of a Russian Su-34 bomber lying in a damaged building in Kharkiv, Ukraine. AP Photo
An apartment building damaged after shelling in Kharkiv, Ukraine. AP Photo
An apartment building damaged after shelling in Kharkiv, Ukraine. AP Photo
A woman puts her head in her hands as she sits on a cot in a shelter, set up for displaced persons fleeing Ukraine, inside a school gymnasium in Przemysl, Poland. AP Photo
A woman puts her head in her hands as she sits on a cot in a shelter, set up for displaced persons fleeing Ukraine, inside a school gymnasium in Przemysl, Poland. AP Photo
Belarussian and suspected Russian helicopters on the flight line at Machulishchy Air Base outside Minsk, Belarus. AP Photo
Belarussian and suspected Russian helicopters on the flight line at Machulishchy Air Base outside Minsk, Belarus. AP Photo
Children look on as people fleeing Russia's invasion of Ukraine shelter in a school, in Drohobych, Ukraine. Reuters
Children look on as people fleeing Russia's invasion of Ukraine shelter in a school, in Drohobych, Ukraine. Reuters
Families eat in the shelter. Reuters
Families eat in the shelter. Reuters
A woman looks out from a building damaged by Russian shelling in Mykolaiv, 100 kilometres away from Odesa, western Ukraine. AFP
A woman looks out from a building damaged by Russian shelling in Mykolaiv, 100 kilometres away from Odesa, western Ukraine. AFP
A wounded Ukrainian man waits in the corridor of the central hospital of Mykolaiv. AFP
A wounded Ukrainian man waits in the corridor of the central hospital of Mykolaiv. AFP
An elderly woman is carried in a shopping cart after being rescued from Irpin, on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine. AP
An elderly woman is carried in a shopping cart after being rescued from Irpin, on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine. AP
A woman reacts as a train carrying children from Kyiv's Central Children's Hospital leaves the Ukrainian capital on its way to Lviv. Reuters
A woman reacts as a train carrying children from Kyiv's Central Children's Hospital leaves the Ukrainian capital on its way to Lviv. Reuters
A girl sits in an improvised bomb shelter in Mariupol, Ukraine. AP
A girl sits in an improvised bomb shelter in Mariupol, Ukraine. AP
An elderly woman is coated in snow as she sits in a wheelchair after being rescued from Irpin. AP
An elderly woman is coated in snow as she sits in a wheelchair after being rescued from Irpin. AP
Belarusian volunteers take part in military exercises at the Belarusian Company base in Kyiv. AP
Belarusian volunteers take part in military exercises at the Belarusian Company base in Kyiv. AP
Lessa, left, director of a nursery school turned into a refugee shelter, cries as she hugs Olega, who arrived from Kyiv with her baby, near Lviv. EPA
Lessa, left, director of a nursery school turned into a refugee shelter, cries as she hugs Olega, who arrived from Kyiv with her baby, near Lviv. EPA
Ukrainians pass a damaged bridge as they flee from Irpin. AP
Ukrainians pass a damaged bridge as they flee from Irpin. AP
A man carries an elderly woman as people continue to leave Irpin. AP
A man carries an elderly woman as people continue to leave Irpin. AP
A soldier stands on a barricade made of sandbags in central Odesa, Ukraine. Reuters
A soldier stands on a barricade made of sandbags in central Odesa, Ukraine. Reuters
A charred Russian tank and captured tanks in the Sumy region. Reuters
A charred Russian tank and captured tanks in the Sumy region. Reuters
People rest at a temporary shelter for Ukrainian refugees in Przemysl, Poland. AFP
People rest at a temporary shelter for Ukrainian refugees in Przemysl, Poland. AFP
Ukraine's ambassador to the Netherlands, Maksym Kononenko, third right, and his wife Tetiana Doroshenko, fourth left, attend a meeting of members of the Ukrainian community with Dutch King Willem-Alexander, third left, and Queen Maxima, second left, to discuss the situation in Ukraine, in The Hague. EPA
Ukraine's ambassador to the Netherlands, Maksym Kononenko, third right, and his wife Tetiana Doroshenko, fourth left, attend a meeting of members of the Ukrainian community with Dutch King Willem-Alexander, third left, and Queen Maxima, second left, to discuss the situation in Ukraine, in The Hague. EPA
A Ukrainian soldier looks at the destruction after shelling in Ukraine's second-largest city of Kharkiv. AFP
A Ukrainian soldier looks at the destruction after shelling in Ukraine's second-largest city of Kharkiv. AFP
A refugee holds her dog as they wait for trains to Poland in Lviv, Ukraine. Reuters
A refugee holds her dog as they wait for trains to Poland in Lviv, Ukraine. Reuters
A woman ties ribbons in Ukrainian national flag colours in a girl's hair as people wait at a refugee assistance centre in Prague, Czech Republic. EPA
A woman ties ribbons in Ukrainian national flag colours in a girl's hair as people wait at a refugee assistance centre in Prague, Czech Republic. EPA
A Ukrainian soldier carries an elderly woman crossing the Irpin river on the outskirts of Kyiv. AP
A Ukrainian soldier carries an elderly woman crossing the Irpin river on the outskirts of Kyiv. AP
Lena, who had never left Ukraine before fleeing into Moldova, feeds Dasha, 3, soon after crossing the border. Erin Clare Brown for The National
Lena, who had never left Ukraine before fleeing into Moldova, feeds Dasha, 3, soon after crossing the border. Erin Clare Brown for The National
Refugees without immediate plans to move further inland can stay the night in tents set up on Moldova's side of the border. Erin Clare Brown for The National
Refugees without immediate plans to move further inland can stay the night in tents set up on Moldova's side of the border. Erin Clare Brown for The National
Tatiana and her son wait for a van that will carry them from the Moldovan border to Chisinau. Erin Clare Brown for The National
Tatiana and her son wait for a van that will carry them from the Moldovan border to Chisinau. Erin Clare Brown for The National
Each night, the Palanca refugee camp in Moldova feeds up to 300 people who arrive with no onward plans. Erin Clare Brown for The National
Each night, the Palanca refugee camp in Moldova feeds up to 300 people who arrive with no onward plans. Erin Clare Brown for The National
People pass a damaged bridge while fleeing the town of Irpin, close to the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv. AP
People pass a damaged bridge while fleeing the town of Irpin, close to the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv. AP
A Ukrainian soldier stands guard next to a church in Irpin. EPA
A Ukrainian soldier stands guard next to a church in Irpin. EPA
A firefighter holds the baby of a Ukrainian refugee at the border in Romania. AP
A firefighter holds the baby of a Ukrainian refugee at the border in Romania. AP
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks in Kyiv. Reuters
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks in Kyiv. Reuters
A Ukrainian soldier at a checkpoint in Kyiv. AP
A Ukrainian soldier at a checkpoint in Kyiv. AP
Ukrainian activist Ihor Mazur, left, a veteran of the war in the country's east, looks at a night-vision device in Kyiv. AP
Ukrainian activist Ihor Mazur, left, a veteran of the war in the country's east, looks at a night-vision device in Kyiv. AP
Ambassadors attend a UN Security Council meeting on threats to international security after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in New York. Reuters
Ambassadors attend a UN Security Council meeting on threats to international security after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in New York. Reuters
Ukraine's UN ambassador Sergey Kyslytsya holds a paper with an image of Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov as he addresses the Security Council in New York. Reuters
Ukraine's UN ambassador Sergey Kyslytsya holds a paper with an image of Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov as he addresses the Security Council in New York. Reuters
A road sign put up in support of Mr Zelenskyy outside Russia's embassy in Washington. AFP
A road sign put up in support of Mr Zelenskyy outside Russia's embassy in Washington. AFP
Ukrainian refugees at the train station in Lviv, western Ukraine. EPA
Ukrainian refugees at the train station in Lviv, western Ukraine. EPA
Lethal and non-lethal Ukrainian aid is loaded on to a plane bound for Poland by Canadian soldiers in Trenton, Ontario. Reuters
Lethal and non-lethal Ukrainian aid is loaded on to a plane bound for Poland by Canadian soldiers in Trenton, Ontario. Reuters
Volunteers carry medical aid and necessities at a train station in Lviv. EPA
Volunteers carry medical aid and necessities at a train station in Lviv. EPA
Everton players wear T-shirts in support of Ukraine as they warm up for an English Premier League football match against Tottenham Hotspur. AP
Everton players wear T-shirts in support of Ukraine as they warm up for an English Premier League football match against Tottenham Hotspur. AP
A residential building damaged by Russian shelling in Chernihiv, Ukraine. Reuters
A residential building damaged by Russian shelling in Chernihiv, Ukraine. Reuters
A man walks past a checkpoint in heavy snow in Lviv. Getty
A man walks past a checkpoint in heavy snow in Lviv. Getty
A man fleeing fighting in Irpin waits to cross a river after Russian forces entered the city. Getty
A man fleeing fighting in Irpin waits to cross a river after Russian forces entered the city. Getty
Soldiers assist Irpin residents underneath a damaged bridge as they flee. Getty
Soldiers assist Irpin residents underneath a damaged bridge as they flee. Getty
Ukrainian civilians who volunteered to join the Territorial Defence Forces take part in a training exercise in Odesa after Russia's invasion. Reuters
Ukrainian civilians who volunteered to join the Territorial Defence Forces take part in a training exercise in Odesa after Russia's invasion. Reuters
Men carry a body to a lorry as people flee from the frontline town of Irpin. EPA
Men carry a body to a lorry as people flee from the frontline town of Irpin. EPA
A Ukrainian police officer runs with a child as the sound of shelling echoes nearby in Irpin. AP
A Ukrainian police officer runs with a child as the sound of shelling echoes nearby in Irpin. AP
Parents and children struggle to board a train in Lviv. AP
Parents and children struggle to board a train in Lviv. AP

Reuters contributed to this report

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• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.

• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.

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Updated: March 08, 2022, 11:53 PM`
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