The investigation into Russian attempts to influence the 2016 election has grown dramatically in both size and scope. A complex probe from the start, it is now a nearly indiscernible blur of characters, charges and counter-charges.

This timeline is a tool aimed at understanding the growing number of dots and where they connect. Think of it as a map. We spent months checking and cross-checking sources of information for each item.

Dig in. There is a lot here.

Click on the image above to zoom in on dates and characters. For a more in-depth look at individual cells, check out this spreadsheet.

Some advice on how to use this spreadsheet:

• You can view by character (each column) or look at broader sweeps of time by date (each row).
• The timeline tracks when each action happened, not when it was first reported. (We make occasional exceptions when the news story itself further affected events.)
• Click on each item for a verifying story or piece of information. When possible we have linked to original documents. We cite specific news organizations in text when either they notably broke the story or when reporting rests on anonymous sources.
• This timeline is focused on the investigation led by special counsel Robert Mueller. Other probes, including the Clinton email investigation and Stephanie Clifford case, are included only when they impact the events in the Mueller/Russia timeline.

There are hundreds of entries in the timeline, covering decades of activity. To help get you started, we’ve identified a few moments when major events overlapped in time.