Pavel Vrublevsky: DNC Hack Is Fraud

We take this with a grain of salt, but a Russian figure who is currently incarcerated in Russia tweeted today that the DNC hack is fraud and that Sergei Mikhailov was tasked by the CIA to fabricate evidence of Russian involvement.

This is a complex piece of the story, and while we are skeptical, the assertion is likely directionally true.

Mikhailov and a man named Ilya Sachkov were arrested by Russia soon after the 2016 election, with speculation that they had involvement in some aspect of the DNC hack intelligence. Nonetheless, they were both sentenced to lengthy prison sentences in Russia.

Mikhailov in particular has been suspected of being a CIA asset, potentially dating to the period he was stationed in Washington DC.

What is important is that it was based on Vrublevsky’s information that Mikhailov and a man named Dokuchaev were arrested by Russia’s FSB in 2016.

The grain of salt comes owing to Mikahilov’s involvement in Vrublevsky’s arrest and prosecution in 2013, where Mikhailov was a witness. In Russia, it is more common for grudges to form the basis of prosecutions with trumped up charges.

Fool Nelson has followed this piece of the story much more closely than us, we’ll see if he is free for a spaces chat soon.