RUSSIAN TROLL FARM: 'Our task was to set Americans against their own government'

Recently-revealed details about how an infamous Russian "troll farm" operated and its role in Russia's disinformation campaign shed new light on Russia's interference in the 2016 presidential race.

One former troll, who was interviewed by the independent Russian news outlet Dozhd and went by "Maxim," or Max, spoke of his experience working for the Internet Research Agency, a well-researched Russian "troll farm" located in St. Petersburg, whose function is to spread pro-Russian propaganda and sow political discord in nations perceived as hostile to Russia.

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The secretive firm is bankrolled by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a Russian oligarch and close ally of President Vladimir Putin.

Up to a third of the IRA's staff was tasked with interfering in US political conversation during the 2016 election, according to an investigation conducted by Russian news agency RBC and detailed by Meduza.

The IRA, Max told Dozhd, consisted of a "Russian desk" and a "foreign desk." The Russian desk was primarily made up of bots and trolls, which used fake social-media accounts to flood the internet with pro-Trump agitprop and made-up news throughout the campaign, especially in the days leading up to the election.

"Our goal wasn’t to turn the Americans toward Russia," he added. "Our task was to set Americans against their own government: to provoke unrest and discontent, and to lower Obama’s support ratings."

[link to www.businessinsider.com]