Pro-Russian trolls are waging an information war from a former factory in St. Petersburg, targeting Western leaders and spreading Kremlin propaganda about Ukraine. This was announced today by the British government, which ordered the study of the case.
The source of the information is not disclosed for security reasons. They are contained in a report showing the Kremlin is using a troll factory to spread lies on social media and in comments on sites with large audiences, the UK Foreign Office said in a statement.
According to the text, this Russian disinformation campaign is designed to manipulate international public opinion about Russia’s war in Ukraine.
As part of the campaign, pro-Russian agents hired Telegram trolls who were paid to target Western and Western leaders’ social media accounts and spread pro-Kremlin propaganda.
“We cannot allow the Kremlin and its troll factories to invade our internet space with their lies,” British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said. “The British government has warned its foreign partners and will continue to work with allies and online platforms to combat Russian operations,” she said.
Among the leaders attacked were Prime Minister Boris Johnson, as well as German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and EU number one diplomat Josep Borrell.
Also affected were musicians David Geta, Duft Punk and Rammstein.
The disinformation campaign has been very active on Instagram, YouTube and TikTok.
Another trick of the trolls was to make more visible the publications of ordinary people who, nevertheless, defended the pro-Kremlin line.
At the center of these maneuvers was a group known on Telegram as Cyberfront Z. For this purpose, it rented space in a former arms factory in St. Petersburg. The group is suspected of having ties to Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Kremlin-linked tycoon who is accused of involvement in Russian interference in the 2016 US election, the UK Foreign Office said. Prigozhin is among those sanctioned by London for his ties to Vladimir Putin.