If This is a Russian Success, What Would Failure Look Like?

I have a question.

Let’s presume Mueller’ indictments are valid.

Let us evaluate what we know.

Putin or some other Russian official charges the GRU (Army Intelligence) to effect secretly a specific outcome of the US presidential election.

In our system I think that means affecting votes, not changing vote totals.

These GRU operatives utilize servers in the US, set up blinds to conceal the true source of their activity and perform myriad nefarious deeds.

And what does the record seem to show:

1) they got detected while the op was on going,

2) their ruses didn’t work,

3) they get identified down to the name,

and 4) enough information is gathered about each of them to specifically charge and indict 12 of them.

I speculate that we learned a lot about methods and techniques that are used by the GRU cyberwarriors.

So your mission is to secretly affect the US election.

You proceeded, hacked, stole, and disseminated propaganda.

You were discovered and identified by name.

You gave away operational information.

And, according to the Deputy Director of the Justice Department, you did not affect one vote.

Did you successfully accomplish your mission?

Are you an example of ham-fisted bungling?

Do you relish going into your boss’ office to debrief him on the op?

Am I missing something?

Shouldn’t we be laughing at these bunglers.

If they want to sway voters wouldn’t be better to use their rubles to hire Saachi and run an ad campaign (the old-fashioned way)?

Col Mike Osajda Marine Corps is a retired JAG Officer.