The 37-page indictment unsealed on Friday by a federal grand jury names 13 Russian nationals and three Russian organizations which, according to the document, "knowingly and intentionally conspired" to interfere in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

According to the document, the defendants did so specifically to help then-candidate Donald Trump and to "disparage" his rival Hillary Clinton.

Deputy U.S. Attorney General Rod Rosenstein called it "information warfare," meant to "spread distrust towards the political system in general."

ROD ROSENSTEIN US DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL "The Russians also recruited and paid real Americans to engage in political activities, promote political campaigns, and stage political rallies. The defendants and their co-conspirators pretended to be grassroots activists. According to the indictment, the Americans did not know that they were communicating with Russians. After the election, the defendants allegedly staged rallies to support the President-elect while simultaneously staging rallies to protest his election."

At least one man in California reached a plea deal with prosecutors over his role in helping Russians establish false identification in the U.S.

Rosenstein said, there's no suggestion it affected the outcome of the election. Still, Friday's indictment is the first criminal charge directly related to 2016 U.S. presidential election meddling.

U.S Special Counsel Robert Mueller's ongoing investigation has been looking into possible collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign, and possible efforts to cover it up. Trump was reportedly briefed privately about the indictment before it was released.

Russia has repeatedly denied any involvement. And on Friday, a spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry called the allegations "absurd".

ROEE RUTTENBERG WASHINGTON DC "Before leaving for Florida on Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted that Russia started its anti-US campaign in 2014, long before Trump announced he was running for president. He signed off - as he's often done -- no collusion! Roee Ruttenberg, CGTN, in Washington."