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.

[PieterCasparzen]

The St. Petersburg Internet Research Agency just seems like such a tiny operation.

In an internet with hundreds of millions of users, a group of a couple hundred trolls would have nowhere near the effect of having something like:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Endowment_for_Democracy

working to promote certain interests.

[Vendome]

Far too often we are used as the proxy army of Europe or certain European territory’s such as France and Germany.

Libya was not necessary but, France wanted regime change.

Egypt wholly and completely unnecessary as well.

the same goes for the rest of Allah land.

[caww]

....” Russians could be deceived into believing their own false propaganda and disinformation and then act upon the false information to launch a first strike nuclear attack and war killing hundreds of millions of human beings around the world”....

Somehow you are under the impression that International Leaders, and or those who puppet them, care about the lives of their people. When in fact they are a commodity and treated as so..... Much more significant is their desire to orchestrate their ultimate agenda, and the power of which they covet, with as little interference as possible....and that includes wars, unless they accommodate their agenda...and certainly Nuclear none care to use....at least not yet.

Everyone who has watched the exchanges between Nato/Eu/US and Russia for decades now knows that Russia's red line was Ukraine as Nato continued it's expansion.... As did those who pursued interfering in Ukraine's affairs. What did they expect Russia would do...just stand by?

Moreso...what do they expect Russia to do as they keep isolating and backing Putin into a corner....who exactly is pushing who?....

Economic sanctions are also against International Law...but these are being played, used, and abused left and right by Obama....not just with Russia but any country he chooses to pressure to comply with his agendas. "Who" is doing the strong-arming, and admittedly so, pushing throughout the International communities to comply?

Russian operations are no more dangerous then those our own President is forging on the World Stage.....because he is playing a game of warfare to formulate positioning 'all' nations to comply...if you don't comply you can bet a "revolution" of it's people will rise to get the job done of removing whoever stands in the way.

Do you think he's warming up to the Islamic nations because he fears their Nuclear programs???? Not a chance...he intends to cater to them until he can use them to do what no American would ever stand for....and is doing that now as I write.

Just look at the geo-political landscape...Tunesia, Libya Egypt, Iran, Syria, Yemen, Jordon, they are all being pushed by Obama...including Israel.

If we have anyone to fear it's Barack Hussein Obama and his goones pushing that button!

[caww]

Oh yea!... National Endowment for Democracy ...they are on line, on the ground, in Washington, Universities...pretty much everywhere.

..and all their “call Ups” for other groups.

[PieterCasparzen]

I notice this story on the St. Petersburg Internet Research Agency appeared in DU last month.

It also appeared in Atlantic Monthly last November, someone posted it to FR, then the thread was pulled.

[WhiskeyX]

“Which goes hand in glove with ‘economic’ warfare and as much technological warfare when countries are engaged over differences.”

Russia has chosen to engage non-Russians in persistent hostilities since 1916. Russia has spurned the efforts of the non-Russian and non-Communist nations to bring about non-hostile relations with Russia. Instead, Russia has refused to rid itself of its hostile totalitarian government and society in favor of resuming its hostile actions against any nation Russia’s totalitarian leadership chooses to target for conquest, re-conquest, or resistance to Russia’s aggressions. The results past and present of Russia’s hostilities are evidenced in a death toll greater by far than anything ever seen in human history with the exception of the death toll exacted by Communist China. Russia’s horrendous actions past and ongoing cannot be swept away or dismissed by a Tu Quoque excuse. The nations targeted by Russia have tens of millions of reasons to be justifiably concerned about Russia’s hostile intentions and hostile actions, and they are fully justified in acting in self-defense to defend themselves against Russia’s hostilities.

“Currently even our military leaders have stated that technology advances in Russia have surpassed our military.”

That is a false statement. For example, Putin has just ordered the cancelation of all but about a dozen of the Russian stealth fighter aircraft which Russia copied from the U.S. F-35. They were apparently a failing embodiment of Russian technology and its failure to successfully copy the F-35.

“That’s about to change but currently is so...additionally Russia has for decades used propaganda heavily in all areas they want to influence.....so do we.”

No we do not, because the Russian efforts greatly surpass all Western efforts in scale, purpose, and death toll. The U.S. efforts have been designed to preserve lives, peace, and freedom; whereas the Russian efforts have been designed to destroy lives, peace, and freedom.

“Obama and liberals do this all the time...”

Obama was raised as a Communist, and his parents were members of the Communist Party USA (CPUSA) which received funding, political indoctrination, and orders from Russia. Obama was conducted into political office by foreign and domestic Communists. Obama’s chief of staff, Valeria Jarrett comes from an Iranian Communist background affiliated with the Russian intelligence services. So, any problems caused by Obama is traceable back to Russia and its hostile interference in the domestic politics of the United States.

[SatinDoll]

LOLOLOLOL!!!

[dforest]

You got me, the only thing that is missing is the pay!

[WhiskeyX]

“The St. Petersburg Internet Research Agency just seems like such a tiny operation.”

The relative size and scope of the St. Petersburg Internet Research Agency can hardly be described as “a tiny operation” when compared to the National Endowment for Democracy (NED). The St. Petersburg Internet Research Agency is being funded with about $13 million per year according to documents leaked by hackers. That amount of funding for the St. Petersburg Internet Research Agency alone is about one-third to seven-eighths of the funding for NED in a given year. A major difference, however, is that NED’s funding of $15 million to $30 million per year is for program around the world, the great majority of which has nothing to do with the funding of Internet trolls. So, by itself the St. Petersburg Internet Research Agency has substantially grater funding used for Internet trolls than NED has for all forms of Internet propaganda, trolls and otherwise. Then you have to take into account that the St. Petersburg Internet Research Agency is only one of many such Russian troll mills with comparable and greater funding. So, NED is completely dwarfed by the Russian government’s Internet trolling operations. Finally, the character and purpose of the Russian Internet trolling operations are quite different from that of NED.

[WhiskeyX]

Stories about the St. Petersburg Internet Research Agency have appeared in many off-line and online publications since the Novaya Gazeta did their investigative news story.

DU material is not permitted on FR, IIRC.

[Fledermaus]

I’m sure they are funded by George Soros! lol

[odds]

“Obama was raised as a Communist, and his parents were members of the Communist Party USA (CPUSA) which received funding, political indoctrination, and orders from Russia.”

Obama is a leftist; above statement may have some truth to it, since Obama was born and raised mostly during USSR era.

“Obama was conducted into political office by foreign and domestic Communists.”

Which office? You mean those who voted for him to be POTUS, two terms, were all or mostly communist, USA citizens? If yes, that’s a very sad indictment for those who are USA citizens, and mostly live in the USA.

On that note, I’d categorize McCain as an Islamist ‘sympathizer’ equally as haughty as Obama.

“Obama’s chief of staff, Valeria Jarrett comes from an Iranian Communist background affiliated with the Russian intelligence services.”

Is that a fact or conjecture? VJ has been accused of being an Iranian (factually, she isn’t). There are despicable Iranians who espouse commie ideology (overall a minority). But, factually, ValJar is uniquely American. She has also been accused of being a commie, a muslim brotherhood sympathizer, and a shia Iranian sympathizer. The last mentioned 3 accusations contradict. So, which is it? what exactly are her sympathies? Maybe she is a surreptitious member of MeK?

“So, any problems caused by Obama is traceable back to Russia and its hostile interference in the domestic politics of the United States.”

“Any problem?” That’s too generic & vague.

And I disagree.

No doubt Obama is underhanded and has leftist ideological inclinations.

But to say *all* Obama does can be traced back to Russia is at best ludicrous.

Obama, first and foremost, is a product of what he has been able to learn and do in the USA, to begin with.

During the latter parts of the Cold War there was saying (a joke, cynicism) among Iranians: “If you want to turn someone into a good Capitalist, send them to the USSR, not USA” .... figure it out.

America needs to get her own house in order, first.

[AustinBill]

The social media “business model” a scam? Cue Captain Renault.

[Vendome]

Can I be a paid Russian Troll?

[PGalt]

Thanks for the ping to an interesting thread. Intrigue, interesting/informative posts/links, some eye-candy & humor (thanks Laz). Thanks to all posters.

[tcrlaf]

Oh hell...

The thread has been Lazz’d!

[dforest]

Sure enough, he strolled in on a white horse of sanity. Or is that racist?

[tcrlaf]

Sure enough, he strolled in on a white horse of sanity. Or is that racist?"

[odds]

If you become one, make sure you get paid in Euro or USD.

[tcrlaf]

Seeing as this thread has now been fully Lazzamatazz'd...