A Russian entrepreneur along with 12 other Russians and three Russian organisations was charged by the US government as part of a vast and wide-ranging effort to sway political opinion during the 2016 US presidential election.

The federal indictment, brought by special counsel Robert Mueller, represents the most detailed allegations to date of illegal Russian meddling during the campaign that sent Trump to the White House.

According to the indictment, Yevgeny Prigozhin and his companies provided significant funding to the Internet Research Agency, a St. Petersburg-based group that allegedly used bogus social media postings and advertisements fraudulently purchased in the name of Americans to influence the White House race.

Prigozhin is an entrepreneur from St. Petersburg who's been dubbed "Putin's chef" by Russian media.

St Petersburg - 17 February 2018

1. Various exteriors of building where it is alleged that Russian Internet Research, one of three organisations indicted in US vote rigging probe, rents offices

A former employee at the Internet Research Agency, a Russian entity charged with meddling in the 2016 US elections, says he believes that the charges are true.  

The agency belonging to Russian entrepreneur Yevgeny Prigozhin allegedly used fake social media accounts to promote the Kremlin's interests in domestic and foreign policy, according to the US indictment announced on Friday.

The alleged scheme was run by the agency, a troll farm which used bogus social media postings and advertisements fraudulently.

Prigozhin - along with 12 other Russians and three Russian organisations - was charged by the US government on Friday for his part in a vast and wide-ranging effort to sway political opinion during the 2016 US presidential election.

The federal indictment, brought by special counsel Robert Mueller, represents the most detailed allegations to date of illegal Russian meddling during the campaign that sent Trump to the White House.

Prigozhin is an entrepreneur from St. Petersburg who's been dubbed "Putin's chef" by Russian media.

His restaurants and catering businesses have hosted the Kremlin leader's dinners with foreign dignitaries.

St. Petersburg - 18 February 2018

1. Various exteriors of Concord catering office

2. Security guard exiting building

3. SOUNDBITE (Russian) no name given, security guard:

"It's a private building, please stop (filming). Lady, please, delete it."

(Reporter, off camera: "Explain to us, please, why we can't film it (building)."

Guard: "Because it's a staff building, don't take pictures of it."

(Reporter, off camera: "Staff? Is it governmental?")

Guard: "No, it's private."

4. Various exteriors of Lakhta-2 business centre

5. Security guard seated at desk and speaking into radio UPSOUND (Russian) no name given, security guard:

"Some people came here for the Internet Research Agency."

(Head of security answers on radio: "Wait for me, I'll be there now.")

"Wait, he'll come here now, we'll see."

6. Exterior of business centre building

7. Various of former Russian Internet Research Agency employee Marat Mindiyarov (right) and his friend

8. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Marat Mindiyarov, former employee at Internet Research Agency:

"It was the Facebook department, that's where all the translators and people who spoke foreign languages worked. And they were the ones to deal with Facebook and now we're reading about how they went to the United States and did whatever they did there."

(Reporter, off camera: So you believe that the reports are true?)

Mindiyarov: "I believe that that's how it was and that it was them."

9. Various of building formerly housing the Russian Internet Research Agency, window advertisement reading (Russian) "For rent"

10. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Marat Mindiyarov, former employee at Internet Research Agency (on trolls working with foreign media):

"Other departments (than mine) worked on foreign media. These were people with excellent language skills, interpreters, university graduates. (When they write comments) It's very hard to tell it's a foreigner writing because they master the language wonderfully."

11. Various exteriors of Internet Research Agency

12. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Marat Mindiyarov, former employee at Internet Research Agency:

"All of the trolls knew that it's (Russian entrepreneur Yevgeny) Prigozhin who stands behind all this. But nobody had any evidence."

13. Various exteriors of one of Prigozhin's restaurants

14. Various general views of central Saint-Petersburg

15. Various of Prigozhin's museum of chocolate and restaurant