Vladimir Putin has army of 'propaganda trolls'
Vladimir Putin reportedly has an army of internet trolls who use fake accounts to flood social media with pro-Russian propaganda.
According to the Daily Mail, employees at the so-called ‘Troll Factory’ in St Petersburg are paid to write positive reviews about the president.
Cleverly disguised as the ‘Internet Research Centre’, the factory operates 24 hours a day and employs hundreds of staff.
Former troll Marat Burkhard told Russian media he was paid a monthly salary of $730 and was required to post a minimum of 130 comments in his 12-hour shifts.
Employees reportedly work in teams of three, with one playing the role of Putin critic, while the other two defend his honour.
Not surprisingly, Burkhard said the pro-Putin trolls had an unbeatable record.
"One of us would be the ‘villain,’ the person who disagrees with the forum and criticizes the authorities, in order to bring a feeling of authenticity to what we’re doing," Burkhard told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
"The other two enter into a debate with him — ‘No, you’re not right; everything here is totally correct.’ We create the illusion of actual activity on these forums."
He said employees were given a list of five specific words they had to include in their posts.
Burkhurt recalled the instructions he received when President Obama was caught taking chewing gum out of his mouth.
“You need to write 135 comments about this, and don’t be shy about how you express yourself. Write whatever you want, just stick the word Obama in there a lot and then cover it over with profanities,” he was reportedly told.
Burkhart lasted just two months as a troll before coming to his senses.
“I decided I can’t engage in absurd work,” he told the radio station.
Morning news break – April 4
