A British government-funded investigation has revealed how the Kremlin is using a troll factory to spread lies on social media and in the comment sections of popular websites. In various countries, the commissioned “trolls” deliberately place false reports and pro-Russian war propaganda under contributions from politicians and other public figures.

Attempt to manipulate public opinion

The investigation reveals how a large-scale Kremlin disinformation campaign aims to manipulate international public opinion about Russia's unlawful war in Ukraine. The aim is to increase support for the war of aggression and recruit new sympathizers for Putin.

The masterminds of the so-called “Cyber ​​Front Z” operate openly from an old factory in St. Petersburg and employ paid employees and internal working groups there.

Broad goals

Social media accounts targeted by the trolls include those of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, researchers said. The social media accounts of bands and musicians such as Daft Punk, David Guetta, Tiesto and Rammstein are also apparently targeted by disinformation campaigns.

Some of the troll factory's activities take place on Facebook and Twitter, but the troll factory is particularly active on Instagram, YouTube and TikTok, where, according to the study, influencers on TikTok are also paid to spread pro-Russian propaganda. It was also observed that surveys in Western media were deliberately manipulated, for example when it came to the question of whether sanctions against Russia were justified.

Paid trolls

Telegram, on the other hand, is used by the troll factory primarily to actively recruit and coordinate new supporters who then attack the social media profiles of Kremlin critics and spam them with pro-Putin and pro-war comments. The recruited supporters are advised to use a VPN to write 200 comments a day, for which they will receive 45,000 rubles per month (around 611 euros).

The investigation also revealed that the Cyber ​​Front Z operation was linked to the Internet Research Agency, a private organization in St. Petersburg allegedly headed by Evgeny Prigozhin , a close Putin ally is accused of interfering in the 2016 US presidential election, which helped Donald Trump win.

British Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries said: “These are insidious attempts by Putin and his propaganda machine to deceive the world about the brutality he is inflicting on the Ukrainian people. This evidence will help us more effectively identify and remove Russian disinformation, and follows our decisive action to stop all dealings with the Kremlin-controlled networks RT and Sputnik.”

Sources: Government UK , Sky News , Independent , The Guardian

Also interesting:

There are always so-called “trolls” on the Internet.
You keep stumbling over this word. What are trolls and how can you recognize them? Trolls on the internet


If you enjoyed this post and value the importance of well-founded information, become part of the exclusive Mimikama Club! Support our work and help us promote awareness and combat misinformation. As a club member you receive:

📬 Special Weekly Newsletter: Get exclusive content straight to your inbox.
🎥 Exclusive video* “Fact Checker Basic Course”: Learn from Andre Wolf how to recognize and combat misinformation.
📅 Early access to in-depth articles and fact checks: always be one step ahead.
📄 Bonus articles, just for you: Discover content you won't find anywhere else.
📝 Participation in webinars and workshops : Join us live or watch the recordings.
✔️ Quality exchange: Discuss safely in our comment function without trolls and bots.

Join us and become part of a community that stands for truth and clarity. Together we can make the world a little better!

* In this special course, Andre Wolf will teach you how to recognize and effectively combat misinformation. After completing the video, you have the opportunity to join our research team and actively participate in the education - an opportunity that is exclusively reserved for our club members!


Notes:
1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication. The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual contributions were created through the use of machine assistance and were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )