CAUTION: TROLLS!
How Russian Trolls Keep Manipulating Your Opinion
Last week has been rich in the Russian media “discoveries.” The timing of the publications with the recent findings of the Russian investigation in the US, the sudden lack of censorship and the analysis of the information give us a key to the understanding of the cyberwar methods.
Recently, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Google provided evidence of Russian agents running a political campaign during the elections of 2016. Instead of denying these activities, the political strategists came up with a new strategy: minimizing the scope of work, forces and expenses.
A major research was published by RBC news agency. Journalists confirmed the involvement of “the troll factory” in Facebook, Instagram and Twitter campaigns, analyzed the content and calculated the total costs. The numbers are shockingly low and the overall picture painted by the report casts doubt on the campaign efficiency. Any connection to the Kremlin is denied. The Western mass media eagerly picked up the article, quoting numbers and revelations of “employees close to the leadership of the troll factory.”
The “exposé” is a skillfully designed disinformation aimed to confuse and distort the real scale of the cyberwar operation. The goal is to prove that the Kremlin did not interfere with the US elections.
Below are the highlights of this analysis:
- Source of information. The Kremlin censors news agencies and the very fact of “exposé” being published needs close attention.
2. Main points of the article, the emotional reaction provoked and the propaganda methods used.
3. Debunking the disinformation.
1. NEWS AGENCY AND CENSORSHIP
According to the New Yorker, “RBC’s Web site emerged as a must-read for those in Russia who were still interested in hearing from independent voices. Most impressively, RBC engaged in investigative reporting — a genre that has become almost nonexistent in the country.” However, “the Kremlin is increasingly intolerant toward independent players, whether in politics, civic activism, or media, and a media organization like RBC was doomed from the start. Putin’s government has largely refrained from pressuring or persecuting individual journalists. Instead, it has drawn on a range of tools — such as restrictive legislation and pressure on advertisers, cable providers, or owners — to clamp down on those media outlets that have grown too audacious.”
As reported by Reuters, “for seven years, RBC published hard-hitting investigations, including into the business affairs of Putin’s inner circle. In 2016, Russian law enforcement officers in ski masks raided the offices of the company that owned RBC; editor-in-chief left the country, and new senior managers were brought in from a state-run news agency. A large proportion of the group’s journalists resigned, saying they anticipated restrictions on the topics on which they could report.”
Polina Rusayeva-Tsybizova, one of the journalists behind the “troll factory” research, stayed at RBK after announcing her decision to quit. In the aftermath of the publication, she shared Julian Assange’s tweet of the article. Another author, Andrey Zakharov, posted on Facebook: “Politics aside, I’d give these guys medals and awards. Ninety former students created communities with a total audience of 7 million people, organized rallies in the USA from St. Petersburg, interviewed prominent activists, opened self-defense courses for African Americans…”
2. MAIN POINTS AND EMOTIONAL RESPONSE
The article claims that the Russian “troll factory” exists but is not connected to the Kremlin. It has a small staff, extremely low budget and operates “for pure fun” so it could not impact the elections in the US.
The report confirmed that “during the elections of 2016, the “troll factory” in St. Petersburg ran a special “American department” that supervised the work of at least 118 communities and accounts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.” The publication claims that it has obtained screenshots of posts made from the internal panels of administrators and that the authenticity of the list was confirmed by a source close to the leadership of the “factory.” The highlights of the story include:
- “Troll factory,” also known as Internet Research Agency Ltd., was created in 2013 for the “propagation of patriotic values” on Russian internet, Runet. (Well-known fact and rings true.)
- The employees used fictitious names and fake accounts to write comments on major social networks, discussion boards, online newspapers websites and blogs and used video, infographic, memes, reports, news, interviews, analytical materials and newly created communities. (True, we read about it and we start trusting the source.)
- They supported the government, attacked the opposition and critics of the regime and supported politically acceptable public events. They also promoted the Kremlin policy in Ukraine and the Middle East. (All true!)
- In spring 2015, the “factory” conducted its first experiment with remote events organizing. A Facebook event invited New Yorkers to gather at a square promising a free hot dog. A small group arrived at the appointed time and place. The employees of the “factory” observed the gathering online from St.Petersburg using street webcams and celebrated the success of the operation. (This is shocking and invasive for an American reader and provokes anger at the Russian trolls. We are emotionally invested.)
- In March 2015, a St.Petersburg job search engine started to recruit “Internet operators” working graveyard shifts. Duties included writing on prompt and analyzing news. Skill requirements listed “fluent English,” good written skills and creativity.
- The new employees proceeded to target Americans and were “given out tasks to discredit the image of presidential candidates.” (Again, this is upsetting and maddening because the foreign country agents are interfering into our domestic affairs. The publication is busting their activities and by now has our trust.)
- “On June 2, 2015, New York Times published Adrian Chen’s article The Agency. (Now a red flag:)Chen reported the monthly budget of the agency at roughly $400,000, quoting a Russian source. (This number is not mentioned in the RBK report.)
- On June 3, 2015, Facebook blocked all English-language “factory” groups and accounts. The “factory” came up with a routine to beat the obstacles. “When Facebook blocks the troll accounts, its IT department buys new proxy servers, issues new IP addresses, virtual “operating systems,” and the work begins anew,” according to an ex-employee. New SIM cards or cloud numbers are purchased. New payment accounts are opened, etc. (This is even more maddening.)
- RBC, matter-of-factly, provides the IT support monthly budget: $750. (What can they do with such a meager budget? Nothing, right?)
- By the summer of 2016, the “American department” employed 80–90 “internet operators.” (What can such a small group do? Seriously?)
- About ten employees of “American department” targeted Twitter. Their task was to create accounts, start flash mobs and trending hashtags, in order to be picked up by mainstream mass media and key media figures. (Ten?! Ten?! Why are we even talking about Russians?)
- “Less than 100 employees” created and posted more than 1,000 items of content per week and got the following amount of views per week in 2016: August — 15 million, September — 20–30 million, October — 70 million.(Numbers and statistics.)
- There was no task to support Trump,” claimed an employee. The task was to “uncover and highlight existing problems and social issues in the United States.” (Why? Confused yet?)
- In August — September 2017, all groups, communities and accounts associated with the “factory” (a combined audience of 6 million people) were blocked by Facebook and Twitter. (There is a sense of relief. The trolls are gone.)
- Currently, there are only 50 employees in American department, claims RBK, adding “these nameless employees are now proclaimed by the US mass media practically the main drive behind Trump’s victory in the elections.” (Phew! And this is a ridiculous claim! This is a joke.)
- In conclusion, a former employee confesses that they did it all for “pure fun” and “could not win the elections for Trump.” (Of course, how could they, with resources like that?)
PROPAGANDA METHODS
- The scientific/statistical claim: providing a scientific proof, specific numbers, charts, graphs, etc. The numbers are presented to the audience as something obvious and provide a sense of objectivity and exactitude.
- Disinformation: numbers provided do not need to match the reality.
- 60/40: telling part-truth, part-fabricated myths.
STATISTICS
The article bombards the reader with numbers, percentage, statistics and quotes. Costs for 2015–2017:
- Total expenses on the US campaign: $2.3 million
- Salaries of the “American Department”: $2 million
- Promotion on social networks: under $90,000
- Facebook: approx.3,300 political ads targeting American voters — $100,000
- Instagram: less than 5% of this amount*according to FB Security Director.
- Google: reports of suspicious ads for “tens of thousands of dollars”*according to the Washington Post.
- Twitter: minimum expenses for bots. *Twitter closed 22 accounts and found 179 more suspicious accounts.
(Compared to the amount of money spent on the presidential campaigns in the US these numbers are minuscule, right? There is no commentary but it is obvious, right? A reader arriving at his or her own conclusion is a part of the technique.)
INTERVIEW WITH THE “SOURCE CLOSE TO LEADERSHIP”
The source close to the leadership of the “factory” insists: “Could we have influenced the outcome of the elections?.. Of course, not. Could we have swayed the public opinion in the undecided states towards Trump? Perhaps, but we were stunned by the results. Why do we need all this? Just for the pure fun of it.”
(The quote from the insider is authentic in tone.)
THE MAIN GOAL OF THE ARTICLE
The “troll factory” is presented as the only organization that had worked on the US elections. The numbers “obtained” from the insiders are plentiful, precise and specific. The article does not make any statements. A reader, while rightly outraged, also questions: How could the Russians possibly change the outcome of the US elections? Is the investigation of Russian meddling a waste of time and money?
And this is exactly what the propagandist wants you to think.
3. DEBUNKING DISINFORMATION
The cyberwar attack on the US population is a sustained effort that involves multiple agencies, organizations and individuals in Russia and around the world and has direct and indirect ties to the Kremlin.
“NO CONNECTION WITH THE KREMLIN” CLAIM
- In 2014, Internet Research Agency was joined by its future successor, Internet Research Ltd. As multiple whistleblowers and hacked emails have revealed, this company is linked to Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the holding company Concord, the Kremlin’s official caterer, and Putin’s long-term friend with ties to Russian intelligence.
“LESS THAN 100 EMPLOYEES” CLAIM
There were multiple agencies in addition to the “troll factory”omitted from the research.
MULTIPLE TROLL FACTORIES
Even if the numbers from “troll factory” in St.Petersburg are correct, according to multiple reports, including Agency, troll factories are located throughout the Russian Federation, including locations like Moscow, Urals, Perekatnyy, Yablonovsky, and Zeleny Gorod and might employ thousands of “internet operators.”
“Dozens, if not hundreds of troll networks” supported by Russian operatives are likely operating today, including in countries outside Russia such as Albania, Cyprus and Macedonia, said Michael Carpenter, who specialized in Russia issues as a senior Defense Department official during the Obama administration.
WESTERN ALLIES AND USEFUL IDIOTS
The Kremlin recruits Western celebrities, political leaders, scholars and public figures to speak in its interest by using financial incentives, career opportunities and publicity. Some celebrities are unaware of being used for propaganda purposes as they become victims of the same brainwashing.
RT (FORMER RUSSIA TODAY) AND OTHER TV CHANNELS
RT is the Russian government-sponsored agency. RT (formerly Russia Today) is a 24/7 news channel broadcasting in English, Arabic and Spanish worldwide. It was founded by a presidential decree. The Kremlin spends $190 million a year on the distribution and dissemination of RT programming. It is a major cyberwar weapon.
According to RT Editor in Chief Margarita Simonyan, the Russian Government sets rating and viewership requirements for RT and, “since RT receives the budget from the state, it must complete tasks given by the state.”
RT alters minds and emotional patterns using the brainwashing techniques based on physiological factors. It covers mainly natural catastrophes, disasters, crime, and conspiracy theories and creates the atmosphere of danger and crisis. The continual flow of fabrications instills fear, paranoia and confusion and causes stress. Then it offers solutions in the form of ultra-nationalistic ideas, militarism and the cult of personality.
SUPPORT OF SEPARATIST, NATIONALIST AND ULTRA-RIGHT MOVEMENTS
The Kremlin funds, cultivates, supports and nurtures the US and European nationalistic movements (from far-left to far-right), political parties, organizations and social movements and uses them to manipulate diverse population groups.
CAMBRIDGE ANALYTICA
According to the Daily Beast report, congressional investigators believe that Russian operatives might have received help in their efforts.
The Cambridge Analytica (CA), a company allegedly linked with the Russian oligarchs close to Putin, is a multi-million operation that specializes in military psychological warfare. It analyzes Facebook users’ profiles and claims to have psychological profiles of over 200 million American voters.
- Paul Manafort, Trump’s campaign manager at the time, hired CA for data-analysis services during the presidential campaign, “in deference to the Mercers.”
- Robert Mercer, the co-CEO of Renaissance Technologies LLC, invested about $5 million in CA and owns 90% of CA.
- Steve Bannon, the former White House chief strategist, was the Vice President of the board of CA and had a stake in the company that he valued at $1 million to $5 million.
- CA is a subsidiary of SCL Group (Strategic Communications Laboratory).
- SCL Group has indirect business ties to Russian and Ukrainian (pro-Putin) oligarchs and companies.
- Michael Flynn has reported his paid advisory position at Cambridge Analytica.
CAMBRIDGE ANALYTICA AND PUTIN’S ALLIES: DMYTRO FIRTASH
- Paul Manafort has worked for Firtash since 2005.
- Firtash and Steve Bannon are on the board of SCL Group.
- SCL’s largest shareholder from 2005 to 2015, Vincent Tchenguiz, invested in another Firtash owned U.K. business
CAMBRIDGE ANALYTICA AND PUTIN’S ALLIES: ALFA BANK
- Mercer’s funds, Citadel Advisors and Renaissance Technologies, bought U.S.-listed shares of two Russian telecommunications firms with significant operations in Russia and Ukraine, including VimpelCom (VIP), an affiliate of Alfa Bank, founded by Russian oligarchs Mikhail Fridman and Peter Aven.
- Alfa Bank’s servers had been reported to communicate with a server registered to the Trump Organization during the election campaign. An article in Slate revealed allegations of the sustained relationship between the servers.
- Petr Aven and Mikhail Fridman of Alfa Group and Letter One are close and long-term allies of Putin. The 2007 report of the global intelligence company Stratfor which has a reputation of being a “shadow CIA” and is trusted by many national governments, connects Fridman and Aven to Solntsevo mafia.
- SLC’s major shareholder, Tchenguiz, and his brother got 40% of Icelandic Bank Kaupthing capital in loans in 2008, before Kaupthing had collapsed. Kaupthing Bank was partially owned by Meidur that, in turn, had two owners. One of these owners, Shapburg Limited, owned stakes in a subsidiary of Alfa-Bank and in Alrosa Finance, whose CEO Alexei Kudrin, served with Putin in St Petersburg in the 1990s and was a Russian Finance Minister and Deputy PM.
- Tchenguiz Trust owns Consensus Business Group which is located at the same address as Fridman’s LetterOne Treasury in London.
More about Alfa Bank here.
CAMBRIDGE ANALYTICA: MORE RUSSIAN TIES
- Mercer’s and Dmitry Rybolovlev’s yachts have been seen in communication in the British Virgin Islands. Rybolovlev owned shares in the Bank of Cyprus, partially owned by Trump’s Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross. The Bank of Cyprus is known to have ties to Putin. Cattell, Rybolovlev’s spokesman, used to write for Mercer-owned Breitbart.
- Robert Mercer’s daughter, who works for the Mercer Family Foundation and was on Trump’s transition team, picked Michael Flynn for the national-security adviser position.
- “Multiple Cambridge Analytica sources have revealed other links to Russia, including trips to the country, meetings with executives from Russian state-owned companies, and references by SCL employees to working for Russian entities,” the Observer reported.
“COULD WE HAVE INFLUENCED THE ELECTIONS?” CLAIM
In order to win the electoral college vote, Trump had to win 2 states, Florida and Pennsylvania, with 29 and 20 electoral votes.
FLORIDA
There are 203,000 of Russian-Americans in Florida where Trump won by 112,911 votes. According to Daily Beast, Being Patriotic group connected with the “troll factory” trie to organize more than a dozen pro-Trump rallies in Florida during last year’s election.
PENNSYLVANIA
In Pennsylvania, there are 290,000 Russian-Americans; Trump won by 44,312. Being Patriotic organized “Miners for Trump” rally on October 2, 2016, in South Philadelphia and Pittsburg, and, according to their (now deleted by Facebook) post, in Erie, Pittsburg, Scranton, Harrisburg, Allentown.
The overwhelming majority of Russian-Americans voted for Trump as the result of a heavy Russian media anti-Clinton and pro-Trump campaign.
4. CONCLUSION
As shown, the RBC “exposé” is yet another manipulation and a strategic move of the Russian propagandists. Do the RBC journalists believe in the numbers and facts leaked by the “trolls” and serve as a blind tool in the Kremlin’s cyberwar attack or are they political technologists fabricating the next layer of disinformation, double-trolling the Western mass media? The answer is irrelevant. Caution is recommended.
The ultimate goal of combat propaganda is to confuse the masses. Using common sense and simple debunking measures will help you to keep sanity and resist the engineered reality.
- Check your sources.
- Ask questions.
3. Think critically.
Read more about RUSSIAN CYBERWAR AND PROPAGANDA here.
*All facts and photos are in public domain and available through Google. Links to the original sources are included.
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