One Professional Russian Troll Tells All

Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) ^ | March 25, 2015 | Dmitry Volchek and Daisy Sindelar

[WhiskeyX]

More and more, posts and commentaries on the Internet in Russia and even abroad are generated by professional trolls, many of whom receive a higher-than-average salary for perpetuating a pro-Kremlin dialogue online.

There are thousands of fake accounts on Twitter, Facebook, LiveJournal, and vKontakte, all increasingly focused on the war in Ukraine. Many emanate from Russia's most famous "troll factory," the Internet Research center, an unassuming building on St. Petersburg's Savushkina Street, which runs on a 24-hour cycle. In recent weeks, former employees have come forward to talk to RFE/RL about life inside the factory, where hundreds of people work grinding, 12-hour shifts in exchange for 40,000 rubles ($700) a month or more.

St. Petersburg blogger Marat Burkhard spent two months working at Internet Research in the department tasked with clogging the forums on Russia's municipal websites with pro-Kremlin comments. In the following interview, he describes a typical day and the type of assignments he encountered.

[caww]

Also...Google is very much involved in what is curtailed when it becomes heavily leaning in any direction “they” do not support.

An article not long ago mentioned how many visits Google Representatives visited the White House....well over 200 visits.

[MurrietaMadman]

I wonder if this plant in St. Petersburg has equipment, computers to disguise the trolls location.

46.161.41.199 St Petersburg 91.207.6.18 Kysehv Ukraine 213.231.43.77 Odessa Ukraine

They're just a few that visit my site a couple hundred times a month. They don't communicate so I figure they're just there to get a pulse.

Chinese used to visit a lot as did Turkey but I think their crawlers were responding to the mention of them in news stories.

None of the foreign visits are near as many as I get from Chicago, though. But to be honest half of the Chicago visits appear to be commercial. I do get a lot of abuse watchers judging by the information gleaned from tracing the IP's.

You can enter IP addresses into your favorite search engine for the information.

[PieterCasparzen]

Do a whois on the ip address for more info.

A lot of bots are for search engines, both American and from other countries. They’re simply crawling your site(s), downloading pages to add them to their search db. It’s a little scary when you see a Chinese IP crawling your whole site, then you realize it’s just Baidu.

You can also take look at the URLs that are being submitted to your site. You’ll see a lot of foreign IPs are submitting URLs to your webserver that are attempting to exploit known vulnerabilities, such as logging in to various development tools with default admin account/password. Then for more fun, do a whois on the IP this originated from and you’ll get, for example, a Chinese telco as the registrant of the IP. Chinese state hacking efforts come out of such sources. Russian and Eastern European efforts frequently come out of what appear to be data center/hosting businesses. You begin to realize that there is no one to “complain” to. A datacenter or telco will just say it may be one of their customers but they can’t do anything about it. Normally I doubt they’d get back to you. I only ever found a small amount of such attempts to come from American or other “five eyes” IPs. Of course, the five eyes countries certainly have the capability to be physically present in other countries through fronts (like all intel services do) or of course fake the source IP of their attempts if they’re serious.

Of course, words to the wise: do not install any software you don’t need to, be very sure when you apply an update that you are not introducing a vulnerability to your own server, use full strength passwords, if you only need a service to listen on the local IP then do that, etc., etc., etc. I found with my server that an exception was IP6; in order to secure things, even though I was not using it, it had to be installed and configured. There was just no way to have it completely disappear.

[PieterCasparzen]

As I pointed out in my post, the activities of the St. Petersburg Internet Research Agency as described in the article are undertaken by the governments of all developed countries.

It's simply engaging the public in social media, and not engaging in social media is simply not an option for governments, or businesses for that matter. Governments of major countries certainly do want to influence public opinion to align with their own views, and they all astroturf and manage their online reputations, as well as wield great backchannel influence over news organizations that are key news outlets for their nation.

The activities of the St. Petersburg Internet Research Agency are simply the modern version of public relations and propaganda. All governments engage the public on the internet, albeit on different scales.

[Texas Fossil]

Yes, I understood that.

[WhiskeyX]

“As I pointed out in my post, the activities of the St. Petersburg Internet Research Agency as described in the article are undertaken by the governments of all developed countries...All governments engage the public on the internet, albeit on different scales.”

Your depiction of the propaganda and disinformation activities of Russia, today and during the Soviet era, as being somehow even remotely equivalent or comparable to those of other nations besides the People’s Republic of China is nothing less than grandly atrocious, because the depravity and death toll resulting from those efforts is matched or exceeded only by the People’s Republic of China. We are talking about Russia’s use of such false propaganda and disinformation for the purpose of killing and murdering tens of millions of human beings. Even now Putin and his regime have been using the St. Petersburg Internet Research Agency and other like troll mills to aid the Russian government controlled news media to propagate the threat of a Russian first strike with nuclear weapons in a global nuclear war killing hundreds of millions of more human beings to intimidate NATO and the other nations around the world. On the contrary, Russia has no peer other than China in its criminal use of false propaganda and disinformation to kill human beings on a mass scale unequaled in human history, including NAZI Germany who pales in comparison with its gruesome accomplishments.

[PieterCasparzen]

Well, now you're talking history, which is not the thread topic. But I will indulge:

Well, Wall Street financed the Bolshevik Revolution. Corporate America happily conducted trade with the USSR. Heck, Ford set up an auto plant for the Ruskies at Gorky. Your arch nemesis Stalin was in power then.

Dr. Antony Sutton came to believe that the aid of American financial elites to the USSR was treason. A number of sensible Americans agreed.

So we must ask ourselves why have no American financiers or captains of industry been charged ? Dr. Sutton's book, "The Best Enemy Money Can Buy" names companies in Appendix H, so why no prosecutions ?

Certainly if the same financial and trade interests had enough control over US political leadership, that would explain the lack of action.

I used to think the causation of the wars of the 20th century was as described in most history books, but the ugly truth is that the real malevolent engineers of that century's wars were the world's financial elites, who still sit atop all world powers and pull the strings. It's painfully obvious that behind the scenes the leaders of the major world powers all report to the same rulers.

[PieterCasparzen]

Oh, and we keep discussing the horrors of the USSR; in all the hubub I forgot another interesting, to say the least, link. Seems that Stalin was employed by the Rothschilds early in his "career". I point you to the book "Young Stalin", by Simon_Sebag_Montefiore; the chapter starting on page 186 came up, "The Tragedy of Kato: Stalin's Stony Heart". I doubt the author is in error on the point, as his family is tied in with the Rothschild family as well.

[Nifster]

day late dollar short

[riri]

It's painfully obvious that behind the scenes the leaders of the major world powers all report to the same rulers.

It's also painfully obvious that when someone (Zuckerburg, Gates, etc) manages to climb the ladder to their levels of wealth they quickly bring them into the fold. THAT should tell you all you need to know right there. My guess is they are so sheltered and so backwards thinking that they never saw the potential of the tech wealth in time to grasp it all for themselves and their families in some way.

I did not know Stalin worked for the Rothchild's. Amazing.

[PieterCasparzen]

Oh, they certainly retained a large chunk of their respective companies, even after the companies went public.

To be sucked into the nwo vortex, percentage of ownership is not an issue; it's simply the initial public offering itself, the very act of "going public", even if you retain 90% of the common share classes.

Once your company goes public, you lose control of the board of directors. You are required to elect outside directors to the board, thus you are no longer calling the shots all by yourself. You must control the board to control the activities and policies of a corporation, and the pool of people you're selecting directors from for a public company - I don't think many of them are in any way opposed to nwo, and many very vigorously support nwo agendas.

In order to retain control after an IPO, you would have to have enough trusted allies to keep outsiders completely off your board, with the understanding that this is a permanent situation. And even then you would be relying on none of those allies on the board double-crossing you. They would all have to be "rabid" anti-nwo types, and never "sell out" and start voting to bring in non-allied (nwo-friendly) board members.

And all this presupposes that the company founder is not completely bamboozled by globalism themselves, that is, running headlong into every new world order agenda, i.e., climate change, feminism, sodomy, international labor trade (immigrants/slaves/etc.), etc. Most college-educated Americans are nwo bots upon graduation. Tech people tend to have very strong opinions about societal issues - but be clueless about nwo's agendas and how their strong opinions mesh nicely with nwo's agendas. Tech people, for example, like the idea of "meritocracy", which is fine on the surface, but not fine when it becomes a "gateway ideology" of elitism which naturally leads to a "tower of babel" syndrome, where smart people who are being used by nwo (witting or unwitting minions) truly believe a) they can achieve whatever they want to (are not limited by God) and b) this gives them a right and even a responsibility to play God with other's lives. These beliefs of course make them willing servants of nwo when it comes to participating in what a reasonable person would consider diabolical schemes. History is littered with highly intelligent and capable "willing accomplices", many of whom really did not appreciate the full implications of what they were doing until it was too late to back out; of course, a classic case is that of Frank Olson, but today's business, government and philanthropic worlds are chock full of people working on nwo agendas every day they go to work.

Zuckerberg "drove a very hard bargain" with Wall Street and maintained quite a large percentage of shares, but he's gung ho on nwo programs anyway (I highly doubt he has any real understanding of the reality of nwo, he just thinks nwo agendas are "cool" and "smart"), so he's fine with his nwo board setting up nwo policies and projects. Zuckerberg was clued in early on as to retaining a large share, both for monetary reasons and for his control of the company; I can only presume that he likes his own take on the social media business and wanted to run things and delegate as he chooses.

Think of Zuckerberg's situation. Even with all the control he retained, he's still surrounded by his board of directors and top company management and his personal advisors for all his legal, financial and government relations advice. So when Uncle Sam comes calling, looking to have those golden eggs of user information that his social media goose is laying, poor Zuck is facing an uphill battle in trying to avoid becoming the gubmint's beotch, since all his king's horses and all his king's men are naught but a band of operatives, hangers-on, charlatans, etc., all just coaching him and primping him for his dates with a figurative whore of Babylon. Alas, poor Gates is the same vision three decades hence; soul exchanged for the title of "senior" tech merchant in new world order's Satanical peerage.

Private wealth management and its accompanying bevy of tax advisors of the wealthy invariably guide the young up-and-comers through the peculiarties of the foundation system which separates the largely taxed and the largely untaxed classes. Whether donated or invested, their capital remains in the service of new world order. Such is the price gained for being such an accomplished accomplice; untold sums under control of Satanists, financing their agendas merely in the name of the collaborator.

[mac_truck]

day late dollar short

Lol..indeed you are, so naff off and let the adults have a conversation.

[WhiskeyX]

“Well, now you’re talking history, which is not the thread topic.”

The history of the persons and the organizations responsible for the organization and operation of the St. Petersburg Internet Research Agency and like Russian Internet Troll agencies engaged in conducting Russian propaganda and disinformation campaigns is precisely on the “thread topic” here, so you are once again making a false statement and a false accusation. The people who are reported to own and operate the St. Petersburg Internet Research Agency are closely associated with Vladimir Putin and his Russian government. Vladimir Putin is a former officer of the KGB and the current commander-in-chief of the successor to the KGB, the FSB, and all other Russian institutions. These past and present Russian organizations are responsible for the role in which their false propaganda and disinformation were used to assist in the killing and murders of tens of millions of human beings in Russia and around the world. You attempted to deceive readers by using a common Tu Quoque apologist and troll argument on behalf of Russia and the St. Petersburg Internet Research Agency, wherein you try to claim the propaganda campaigns of the U.S. and all other nations are comparable in nature and scope to the false propaganda and disinformation campaigns of the St. Petersburg Internet Research Agency and other like Russian Internet troll mills. It is entirely on topic to observe the scope, false nature, and criminal application of the St. Petersburg Internet Research Agency’s and Russia’s false propaganda and disinformation campaigns are historically and currently unrivaled by any other nation besides China.

“Well, Wall Street financed the Bolshevik Revolution....”

Yes, Wall Street investments were among those which financed the Bolshevik Revolution along with every other bourse in the world; which is a conversation designed to change the subject away from the topic of the news article about the St. Petersburg Internet Research Agency, Russian government financed Internet troll mills, the Russian government, and how their past and present false propaganda and disinformation campaigns have been used to kill and murder tens of millions of human beings. Your comment is an obvious attempt to once again suppress and deflect the conversation away from anything which has anything to do with the St. Petersburg Internet Research Agency, Russian Internet trolls, Vladimir Putin, or Russia’s campaign of false propaganda and disinformation. Your actions are, therefore, consistent with the efforts made by “pro-Russian” Internet trolls to disrupt discussions which are critical of Putin and Russia by changing the subject of conversation to criticism of the United States and its allies designed to incite divisions among them.

[WhiskeyX]

“Lol..indeed you are, so naff off and let the adults have a conversation.”

The proper topic of conversation is the news article about the St. Petersburg Internet Research Agency and the other Russian Internet troll mills of like background. You have been trying to change the subject to criticism of the United States or anything else imaginable which would avoid criticism and discussion of the St. Petersburg Internet Research Agency, Russian Internet trolls, Vladimir Putin, or the Russian government. In other words, you are posting comments which are highly consistent with the Russian policy for Russian Internet trolls to suppress Internet criticism of Putin’s regime, Russian policies and actions, and Russia while also making comments critical of the United States, U.S. allies, and any non-Russian governmental policies and culture targeted by Putin’s /Russian government. A standard line of agitprop these Russian trolls are ordered to employ is the comment: “Everyone has committed crimes — so the thinking goes — so how can the West possibly reproach Russia?” Throughout this thread we see exactly that line of Russian agitprop being used in an attempt by yourself and others to derail a discussion of the Russian Internet trolls.

Now, in this retort you made to the post by nifster, you rather rudely suggest nifster be excluded from the pro-Russian and off-topic criticism of the United States and its allies. Your behavior is consistent with the instructions given to Russian Internet trolls to dominate a forum by defending Russian actions while disparaging the criticism of Russia and changing the subject to criticism of the United States and other non-Russian subjects. What is particularly interesting about this particular comment of your is your usage of the characteristic British slang, “naff off and let the adults have a conversation.” Such a characteristic British slang is not used by Americans. Your handle, Mac Truck, and your past postings have been used to indicate you are an American. So, these circumstances in conjunction with your other past behavior gives reasonable cause for suspicion that you could be a Russian troll pretending to be a non-Russian, rather than a non-Russian posting as a pro-Russian troll, who is also conforming with the type of Russian government orders for posting false propaganda and disinformation we see in relation to the news reports about the St. Petersburg Internet Research Agency and related earlier Russian Internet trolls.

[dforest]

If nothing else, this thread made me laugh. FR, the home and designation for paid Putin trolls. LOL

I am sure ole Vlad sent his minions here to FR first, after all, all of us geezers are his target audience for paid propaganda because we are in control of things. We are the ones we been a waitin’ for.

[WhiskeyX]

“If nothing else, this thread made me laugh. FR, the home and designation for paid Putin trolls. LOL”

“I am sure ole Vlad sent his minions here to FR first, after all, all of us geezers are his target audience for paid propaganda because we are in control of things. We are the ones we been a waitin’ for.”

If the St. Petersburg Internet Research Agency and other Russian Internet troll mills weren’t sensitive to criticism of their activities, Vladimir Putin, and the Russian government, they wouldn’t be flocking here and at other American Websites that are so critical of them.

It is also interesting to note your misuse of the phrase, “the home and designation....”. The context of your comment appears to indicate you meant to say “the home and destination....”, not “designation.” Perhaps you deliberately used the wrong word to give us the impression you are a Russian or other troll whose command of English leaves much to be desired, or you really are a Russian or other foreign troll whose English is not a native language. If you do happen to be a Russian troll, then perhaps your pro-Russian comments are on topic because they can serve as a direct example of the Russian trolls discussed by the news story.

[Nifster]

Thank you Whiskey...as usual you bring logic and analysis to those who need it most ;)

[BeadCounter]

Classic, helpful thread, one of the best per contributions of some I have read on this forum.

[skinkinthegrass]

*

[PieterCasparzen]

Oh, and we keep discussing the horrors of the USSR; in all the hubub I forgot another interesting, to say the least, link. Seems that Stalin was employed by the Rothschilds early in his “career”. I point you to the book “Young Stalin”, by Simon_Sebag_Montefiore; the chapter starting on page 186 came up, “The Tragedy of Kato: Stalin’s Stony Heart”. I doubt the author is in error on the point, as his family is tied in with the Rothschild family as well.