The 12 Russians indicted in the Mueller investigation will probably never face trial in the US

Get the Full StoryThe Mueller investigation had a key moment on Friday, when the Department of Justice announced the indictments of 12 Russian nationals for hacking into emails.

The indictments are an important step in the effort to establish what happened in the months leading up to the 2016 US presidential election.

However, the 12 men are unlikely to be extradited by Russia, therefore, there won't be a trial for them in the United States.

Failing to secure convictions will not be a sign of failure of the indictments, rather, the pressure could lead to new information in the investigation.

During the Cold War, the Soviet Union and the United States regularly exchanged accusations of espionage. The prototypical image of Cold War spies is etched in the minds of anyone who lived through that period or watched its movies — trenchcoat-wearing, "Spy vs. Spy" caricatures exchanging packages in dark alleys.

Modern-day espionage has a different image. Instead of a grizzled Cold Warrior, we picture millennials behind a computer screen hacking government agencies, state election systems, military contractors, social network behemoths and — as alleged last week — major political parties.See the rest of the story at Business InsiderNOW WATCH: 5 science facts that 'Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom' totally ignoredSee Also:What Trump and Putin hope to get out of their big Helsinki summit on MondayThe Catholic Church wasn't always so against contraception4 charts show how cities handle immigration differently around the worldSEE ALSO: Russia responded to Mueller's indictment of 13 Russian nationals by comparing it to a Jim Carrey comedy

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