“Kremlin trolls” also known as:
- Russian trolls/bots
- Kremlin bots
- Kremlins
- Russian web brigades
Russian trolls are full-time political commentators and trolls funded by the Government of Russia. Their main task is to promote pro-Russian propaganda.
Russian troll farm was created by Yevgeniy Prigozhin. He is a Russian oligarch, and close confidante of Russian president Vladimir Putin. He controls “a network of companies”, including Wagner Group, a Russian government backed mercenary group accused of war crimes in the Africa, Syria, and Ukraine, and few companies accused of interference in the 2016 and 2018 U.S. elections. According to an investigation by Bellingcat, The Insider, and Der Spiegel, Prigozhin’s operations “are tightly integrated with Russia’s Defence Ministry and its intelligence arm, the GRU”. Prigozhin, his companies and associates face economic sanctions and criminal charges in the United States.
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