View source for Organization:Internet Research Agency

{{short description|Russian company engaged in online propaganda}}
{{Infobox organization
| name = Internet Research Agency
| full_name = 
| native_name = Агентство интернет-исследований<!-- organization's name in its local language -->
| native_name_lang = ru<!-- required ISO 639-1 code of the above native language -->
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| formation = {{start date|2013|7|26|df=y}}
| founder = Yevgeny Prigozhin
| founding_location = 
| dissolved = {{end date|2023|7|1|df=y}}
| merger = <!-- other organizations (if any) merged with, to constitute the new organization -->
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| tax_id = <!-- or |vat_id = (for European organizations) -->
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| status = <!-- legal status or description (company, charity, foundation, etc.) -->
| purpose = [[Social:Internet manipulation|Internet manipulation]], spreading [[Social:Disinformation|disinformation]]
| professional_title = <!-- for professional associations -->
| headquarters = Olgino
| location_city = Saint Petersburg
| location_country = Russia
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The '''Internet Research Agency''' ('''IRA'''; {{lang-ru|Агентство интернет-исследований|translit=Agentstvo internet-issledovaniy}}), also known as '''''Glavset''''' ({{lang-ru|link=no|Главсеть}}),<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Lapowsky |first=Issie |date=8 September 2017 |title=Facebook May Have More Russian Troll Farms to Worry About |url=https://www.wired.com/story/facebook-may-have-more-russian-troll-farms-to-worry-about |access-date=24 January 2020 |magazine=Wired}}</ref> and known in Russian [[Internet slang]] as the '''Trolls from Olgino''' ({{lang-ru|link=no|ольгинские тролли}}) or '''Kremlinbots''' ({{lang-ru|кремлеботы}}<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.svoboda.org/a/31065181.html | title="Наша норма – 120 комментов в день". Жизнь кремлевского тролля | newspaper=Радио Свобода | date=30 January 2021 | last1=Волчек | first1=Дмитрий }}</ref>), was a Russian company which was engaged in online [[Social:Internet manipulation|propaganda]] and [[Social:Political warfare|influence operations]] on behalf of Russian business and political interests.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last=Prier|first=Jarred|year=2017|title=Commanding the Trend: Social Media as Information Warfare|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/26271634|journal=Strategic Studies Quarterly|volume=11|issue=4|pages=50–85|jstor=26271634|issn=1936-1815}}</ref> It was linked to Yevgeny Prigozhin, a former Russian oligarch who was leader of the Wagner Group, and based in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

The agency was first mentioned in 2016, when Russian journalist Andrey Zakharov published his investigation into Prigozhin’s "troll factory".<ref>{{cite web 
|url = https://www.severreal.org/a/priznannyy-smi-inoagentom-zhurnalist-bi-bi-si-andrey-zaharov-uehal-iz-rossii/31627984.html 
|title = Журналист BBC Андрей Захаров, написавший о любовнице и дочери Путина, уехал из России 
|language = ru 
|author = 
|date = December 27, 2021
|publisher = severreal.org 
|accessdate = February 19, 2023 
}}</ref> The January 2017 report issued by the United States Intelligence Community – ''Assessing Russian Activities and Intentions in Recent US Elections'' – described the agency as a [[Social:Troll farm|troll farm]]: "The likely financier of the so-called Internet Research Agency of professional trolls located in Saint Petersburg is a close ally of [Vladimir] Putin with ties to Russian intelligence," commenting that "they previously were devoted to supporting Russian actions in Ukraine—[and] started to advocate for candidate Trump as early as December 2015."

The agency employed [[Sock puppet account|fake accounts]] registered on major social networking sites,<ref name=F273/> discussion boards, [[Online newspaper|online newspaper]] sites, and video hosting services to promote the Kremlin's interests in domestic and foreign policy including {{wipe|Ukraine}} and the Middle East as well as attempting to influence the 2016 United States presidential election. More than 1,000 employees reportedly worked in a single building of the agency in 2015.

The extent to which the agency tried to influence public opinion using social media became better known after a June 2014 ''BuzzFeed News'' article greatly expanded on government documents published by hackers earlier that year.<ref name="BuzzFeed_02.06.2014">{{Cite news |last=Seddon |first=Max |date=2 June 2014 |title=Documents Show How Russia's Troll Army Hit America |language=en |work=BuzzFeed |url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/maxseddon/documents-show-how-russias-troll-army-hit-america |access-date=12 June 2016}} Russian reprint: [http://inopressa.ru/article/03Jun2014/buzzfeed/web_rus.html Документы показали, как армия российских 'троллей' атакует Америку] (InoPressa).</ref> The Internet Research Agency gained more attention by June 2015, when one of its offices was reported as having data from fake accounts used for biased [[Internet troll]]ing. Subsequently, there were news reports of individuals receiving monetary compensation for performing these tasks.<ref name=abouttrolls>{{Cite news |last=<!--Staff writer(s); by-line is ShareAmerica.--> |date=4 November 2015 |title=Everything you wanted to know about trolls but were afraid to ask |language=en-US |work=ShareAmerica |publisher=U.S. State Dept. Bureau of International Information Programs |url=https://share.america.gov/trolls-everything-you-wanted-to-know/ |access-date=6 November 2015}}</ref>

On 16 February 2018, a United States grand jury indicted 13 Russian nationals and three Russian entities, including the Internet Research Agency, on charges of violating criminal laws with the intent to interfere "with U.S. elections and political processes", according to the Justice Department.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Mangan |first1=Dan |last2=Calia |first2=Mike |date=16 February 2018 |title=Special counsel Mueller: Russians conducted 'information warfare' against US to help Trump win |publisher=CNBC |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2018/02/16/russians-indicted-in-special-counsel-robert-muellers-probe.html |access-date=16 February 2018}}</ref> On 1 July 2023, it was announced that the Internet Research Agency would be shut down following the aftermath of the Wagner Group rebellion.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Prigozhin-controlled Russian media group shuts after mutiny |date=July 2, 2023|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/prigozhin-controlled-russian-media-group-shuts-amid-mutiny-fallout-2023-07-02/|access-date=2023-09-06 |website=Reuters |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Panella |first=Chris |title=Russian 'troll factory' accused of interfering in US elections shuts down after exile of Wagner boss |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/wagner-troll-factory-accused-of-interfering-us-elections-shut-down-2023-7 |access-date=2023-07-11 |website=Business Insider |language=en-US}}</ref>


== Origin ==
In Leningrad Oblast in the late 1970s, Vladimir Putin's first KGB post was with the 5th Department, which countered dissidents with disinformation using [[Social:Active measures|active measures]], and was strongly supported by Filipp Bobkov and the head of the KGB Yuri Andropov, who believed in "stamping out dissent".<ref>{{cite book |last=Short |first=Philip |title=Putin |publisher=[[Company:Henry Holt and Company|Henry Holt and Company]] |date=26 July 2022 |isbn=978-1627793667}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Short |first=Philip |url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/the-extraordinary-story-of-putins-early-life-ng7x3kf2f |title=The extraordinary story of Putin's early life: He was a cosseted child from a nondescript neighbourhood who approached the KGB at 16 to offer his services. Philip Short traces his origins |work=The Times |date=25 June 2022 |access-date=26 October 2023 |archive-date=6 October 2022 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20221006215841/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/the-extraordinary-story-of-putins-early-life-ng7x3kf2f}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=szfreiberger |url=https://docs-books.com/2022/08/24/putin-his-life-and-times-by-philip-short/ |title=Review for PUTIN: HIS LIFE AND TIMES by Philip Short |work=DOC'S BOOKS: A window into Doc Freiberger's library (docs-books.com) |date=24 August 2022 |access-date=26 October 2023 |archive-date=26 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231026194637/https://docs-books.com/2022/08/24/putin-his-life-and-times-by-philip-short/}}</ref>

Revealed on 16 August 2012 in an article by the Russian edition of {{wipe|Forbes}} magazine, the website for the company Medialogia{{efn|Medialogia ({{lang-ru|«Медиалогия»}} was a project began in 2003 of the software development company IBS but, later, was an independent business separate from IBS.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://ibs.ru/about/history/ |title=IBS — 30 шагов в будущее. Cоздаем технологии, которыми пользуются миллионы: Наша история |trans-title=IBS – 30 Steps to the Future. Creating Technologies That Are Used by Millions: Our History |language=ru |work=IBS |date=26 October 2023 |access-date=26 October 2023 |archive-date=26 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231026203512/https://ibs.ru/about/history/}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.mlg.ru/ |title=Медиалогия |trans-title=Medialogia |language=ru |date=26 October 2023 |access-date=26 October 2023 |archive-date=26 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231026211641/https://www.mlg.ru/}}</ref>{{efn|In 2014, software systems for monitoring social media networks purchased by the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD) from Medialogia include the Prizma information and analytical systems, the GLASS News Terminal, Medialogy and the Medialogy-Government Procurement system ({{lang-ru|links=no|«Призма», «Новостного терминала ГЛАСС», «Медиалогии» и системы «Медиалогия-госзакупки»}}). "Prism" targets main "news events, trends, information attacks, and anomalous activity" in blogs and social networks in real time and identifies the primary sources of information dissemination. Senior officials and the Russian presidential administration monitor social networks using Prisma. "Prism" identifies sites on the network which are intended to organize information attacks including fake sites that can be used to misinform users and information attacks organized by botnets and predicts information attacks, threats, etc. The GLASS News Terminal system aggregates data from main events of the day, negative and positive materials about the MVD and its leadership, criticism of MVD employees, authorities, opposition protests, etc. The Main Center for Communications and Information Security ({{lang-ru|links=no|Главный центр связи и информационной безопасности}}) in the MVD stated that the users of these products are the Minister of Internal Affairs, his deputies, heads of main directorates, directorates and departments of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, as well as employees of the Department of Internal Affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and employees of other divisions of the central apparatus of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.<ref name=Vedomosti26092014>{{cite news |last=Голицына |first=Анастасия |url=https://www.vedomosti.ru/technology/articles/2014/09/26/mvd-budet-monitorit-socseti-i-smi-za-24-mln-rub |title=МВД будет мониторить соцсети и СМИ за 24 млн рублей |trans-title=The Ministry of Internal Affairs will monitor social networks and the media for 24 million rubles |language=ru |work=Ведомости |date=26 September 2014 |access-date=26 October 2023 |archive-date=26 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231026200656/https://www.vedomosti.ru/technology/articles/2014/09/26/mvd-budet-monitorit-socseti-i-smi-za-24-mln-rub}}</ref><ref name=Vedomosti29092014>{{cite news |last=Голицына |first=Анастасия |url=https://www.vedomosti.ru/politics/articles/2014/09/29/prizma-dlya-mvd |title=МВД закупит системы мониторинга соцсетей и блогосферы |trans-title=The Ministry of Internal Affairs will purchase monitoring systems for social networks and the blogosphere |language=ru |work=Ведомости |date=29 September 2014 |access-date=26 October 2023 |archive-date=26 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231026200219/https://www.vedomosti.ru/politics/articles/2014/09/29/prizma-dlya-mvd}}</ref>}}}} offered a system known as Prisma terminals ({{lang-ru|Терминалы «Призма»}}) which, according to Farit Khusnoyarov,{{efn|Farit Khusnoyarov ({{lang-ru|Фарит Хуснояров}}) was the development director of Medialogia in 2012 and was the Deputy Minister of Public Administration, Information Technology and Communications of the Moscow Region in 2015.<ref name=Forbes15082012>{{cite news |last1=Бурибаев |first1=Айдар (Buribaev, Aidar) |last2=Баданин |first2=Роман (Badanin, Roman) |url=https://www.forbes.ru/sobytiya/vlast/92590-kak-vlasti-chitayut-vashi-blogi-rassledovanie-forbes |title=Как власти читают ваши блоги: расследование Forbes |trans-title=How authorities read your blogs: Forbes investigation |language=ru |work={{wipe|Forbes}} |date=15 August 2012 |access-date=26 October 2023 |archive-date=20 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210820142747/https://www.forbes.ru/sobytiya/vlast/92590-kak-vlasti-chitayut-vashi-blogi-rassledovanie-forbes}}</ref>}} Prism could track for the Kremlin in near real time the stand-alone blog platforms and social networks of nearly 60 million sites and could analyze the tone of the statements of each of these sources with a lag of several minutes or given as an estimated error of 2-3% almost in real time. The article called the terminals Volodin's Prism ({{lang-ru|Призма Володина|links=no}}) for Vyacheslav Volodin.{{efn|From 21 October 2010 to 2012, Vyacheslav Volodin was the Deputy Chairman of Government as the Deputy Prime Minister to Dmitry Medvedev replacing Sergey Sobyanin who had been Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office under Vladimir Putin. Volodin was the First deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Administration of Russia under Medvedev from 2012 to 2016.}} After the Snow revolution following the 4 December 2011 Russian legislative elections, Volodin actively used his Prism terminal, which he received on the eve of the elections, to counter dissidents in Russia. Others using Prisma include Sergei Naryshkin's office in the State Duma, senior officials at the Main Center for Communications and Information Security ({{lang-ru|Главный центр связи и информационной безопасности|links=no}}) in the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD){{efn|The Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD) was headed by Rashid Nurgaliyev under Putin until 21 May 2012 when Vladimir Kolokoltsev assumed the post.}} senior officials at Moscow City Hall{{efn|Senior officials at the Moscow City Hall include Vladimir Kolokoltsev who headed the MVD for the Moscow region from 7 September 2009 to 21 May 2012. From October 2012, the Moscow City Hall was under leadership of the Mayor of Moscow Sergey Sobyanin.}} and employees close to the head of Rosneft Igor Sechin.<ref name=Forbes15082012/><ref>{{cite news |last=Chen |first=Adrian |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/07/magazine/the-agency.html |title=The Agency: From a nondescript office building in St. Petersburg, Russia, an army of well-paid "trolls" has tried to wreak havoc all around the Internet — and in real-life American communities. |work={{wipe|New York Times}} |date=2 June 2015 |access-date=26 October 2023 |archive-date=19 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191219110727/https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/07/magazine/the-agency.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://archive.today/20231026201445/https://lenta.ru/news/2012/08/16/prizma/ |title=Forbes рассказал о системе анализа блогов для чиновников |trans-title=Forbes spoke about a blog analysis system for officials |language=ru |date=16 August 2012 |access-date=26 October 2023}}</ref>{{efn|In 2012, other monitoring systems for social media in Russia included Kribrum ({{lang-ru|links=no|«Крибрум»}}) from the Natalya Kaspersky company InfoWatch and the Igor Ashmanov firm Ashmanov & Partners ({{lang-ru|Infowatch и «Ашманов и партнеры»}}) and Wobot from former employees of Medialogia, the Public Opinion Foundation and VimpelCom ({{lang-ru|бывшие сотрудники «Медиалогии», фонда «Общественное мнение» и «Вымпелкома»}}).<ref name=Vedomosti26092014/><ref name=Vedomosti29092014/>}}

The Internet Research Agency was founded in mid-2013.<ref name="UK_05.06.2014" /> In 2013, ''Novaya Gazeta'' newspaper reported that Internet Research Agency Ltd's office was in Olgino, a historic district of Saint Petersburg.<ref name="NG_09.09.2013">{{Cite news |last=Alexandra Garmazhapova |date=9 September 2013 |script-title=ru:Где живут тролли. Как работают интернет-провокаторы в Санкт-Петербурге и кто ими заправляет |language=ru |trans-title=Where are the trolls: The internet provocateurs in St. Petersburg and who funds them |work=Novaya Gazeta |url=http://www.novayagazeta.ru/society/59903.html |access-date=12 June 2016 |archive-date=2 February 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150202092234/http://www.novayagazeta.ru/society/59903.html |url-status=dead }} Ukrainian reprint: [http://news.finance.ua/ua/news/~/320589 Де живуть тролі у РФ: як працюють інтернет-провокатори в Санкт-Петербурзі і хто ними заправляє] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150205230813/http://news.finance.ua/ua/news/~/320589 |date=5 February 2015 }} (finance.ua).</ref>

The terms "Trolls from Olgino" and "Olgino's trolls" ({{lang-ru|link=no|"Тролли из Ольгино"}}, "Ольгинские тролли") have become general terms denoting trolls who spread pro-Russian propaganda, not only necessarily those based at the office in Olgino.<ref name="LI_04.09.2013">{{Cite news |last=<!--no by-line; editorial?--> |date=4 September 2013 |script-title=ru:СМИ: Под Петербургом за умеренную плату ругали Навального |language=ru |trans-title=Near St. Petersburg there are those being paid a modest fee to abuse Navalny |work=Lentizdat |url=https://lenizdat.ru/articles/1114444/ |access-date=12 June 2016}}</ref><ref name="Fontanka_29.05.2014">{{Cite news |last=Denis Korotkov |date=29 May 2014 |script-title=ru:Сотни троллей за миллионы |language=ru |trans-title=Hundreds of millions of trolls |work=Fontanka.ru |url=http://www.fontanka.ru/2014/05/29/170/ |access-date=12 June 2016}}</ref><ref name="mr7.ru_30.05.2014">{{Cite news |last=Andrew Soshnikov |date=30 May 2014 |script-title=ru:Интернет-тролли из Ольгино заговорили на английском и украинском |language=ru |trans-title=Internet trolls from Olgino start talking in English and Ukrainian |work=Moy Rayon |url=http://www.mr7.ru/articles/102680/ |access-date=12 June 2016}}</ref>

Information of the work being conducted at the Agency comes in part from interviews with former employees.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Dawson |first1=Andrew |last2=Innes |first2=Martin |title=How Russia's Internet Research Agency Built its Disinformation Campaign |journal=The Political Quarterly |date=June 2019 |volume=90 |issue=2 |pages=245–256 |doi=10.1111/1467-923X.12690|s2cid=165035949 |url=https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/122489/1/Political%20Quarterly%20IRA%20Dawson%20%26%20Innes.pdf }}</ref>

In February 2023, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the private military company Wagner Group, stated that he founded the IRA: "I’ve never just been the financier of the Internet Research Agency. I invented it, I created it, I managed it for a long time."<ref name="Prigozhin">{{Cite web | title=Wagner chief admits to founding Russian troll farm sanctioned for meddling in US elections | work=CNN | url=https://edition.cnn.com/2023/02/14/europe/russia-yevgeny-prigozhin-internet-research-agency-intl/index.html | date=14 February 2023 | access-date=14 February 2023}}</ref> The admission came months after Prigozhin had admitted to Russian interference in U.S. elections.<ref name="Prigozhin"/>

== Organizers ==

=== Strategic ===
Russian newspaper ''Vedomosti'' links the approved-by-Russian-authorities strategy of public consciousness manipulation through [[Social:New media|new media]] to Vyacheslav Volodin, first deputy of the Vladimir Putin Presidential Administration of Russia.<ref name="UK_05.06.2014">{{Cite news |date=5 June 2014 |script-title=ru:В США начали охоту на проплаченных интернет-троллей из России |language=ru |trans-title=The hunt for Russian internet trolls started in the U.S. |work=Criminal Ukraine |agency=NEWSru.com |url=http://cripo.com.ua/?sect_id=10&aid=175890 |access-date=12 June 2016 }} Ukrainian reprint: [http://zik.ua/ua/news/2014/06/05/amerykantsi_rozpochaly_polyuvannya_na_proplachenyh_kremlem_internettroliv_495048 Американці розпочали полювання на проплачених Кремлем інтернет-тролів] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150205235937/http://zik.ua/ua/news/2014/06/05/amerykantsi_rozpochaly_polyuvannya_na_proplachenyh_kremlem_internettroliv_495048 |date=5 February 2015 }} (zik.ua).</ref><ref name="Ved_21.05.2014">{{Cite news |last=Ilya Klishin |date=21 May 2014 |script-title=ru:Максимальный ретвит: Лайки на Запад |language=ru |trans-title=Maximum-retweet: Laika West |work=Vedomosti |url=http://www.vedomosti.ru/newspaper/articles/2014/05/21/lajki-na-zapad |access-date=12 June 2016}}</ref>

=== Tactical ===
{{external media|width=210px|float=right|video1=[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hUze1e0OiM Why are Russian trolls spreading online hoaxes in the U.S.?], PBS News Hour (PBS is funded by member station dues, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, corporate contributions, pledge drives, foundations and individual citizens.), 8 June 2015<ref name="PBS A">{{Cite web |date=8 June 2015 |title=Why are Russian trolls spreading online hoaxes in the U.S.? |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hUze1e0OiM |access-date=17 February 2018 |website=PBS News Hour |publisher=PBS (PBS is a publicly funded American broadcaster)}}</ref>}}

Journalists have written that Alexey Soskovets, who had participated in the Russian youth political community, was directly connected to the office in Olgino, and that his company, North-Western Service Agency, won 17 or 18 (according to different sources) contracts for organizing celebrations, forums and sport competitions for authorities of Saint Petersburg and that Soskovets' company was the only participant in half of those bids. In mid-2013 the agency won a tender for providing freight services for participants of Seliger camp.<ref name="NG_09.09.2013" /><ref name="mr7.ru_04.09.2013">{{Cite news |last=Andrew Soshnikov |date=4 September 2013 |script-title=ru:Под Петербургом обнаружено логово троллей, которые клеймят Навального и хвалят русское кино |language=ru |trans-title=Near St. Petersburg lies the lair of trolls that brand and praise Russian cinema |work=Moy Rayon |url=http://www.mr7.ru/articles/90769/ |access-date=12 June 2016}}</ref>

In 2014, according to Russian media, Internet Research Ltd. ({{lang-ru|link=no| «Интернет исследования»}}) was founded in March 2014, and joined IRA's activity. The newspaper ''Novaya Gazeta'' reported that this company is a successor of Internet Research Agency Ltd.<ref name="NG_11.03.2015" /> Internet Research Ltd. is considered to be linked to Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the holding company Concord Management and Consulting. The "Trolls of Olgino" are considered to be his project. As of October 2014, the company belonged to Mikhail Bystrov, who had been the head of the police station at Moscow district of Saint Petersburg.<ref name="LI_28.10.2014" />

Russian media point out that according to documents, published by hackers from Anonymous International, Concord Management is directly involved with trolling administration through the agency. Researchers cite e-mail correspondence, in which Concord Management gives instructions to trolls and receives reports on accomplished work.<ref name="Fontanka_29.05.2014" /> According to journalists, Concord Management organized banquets in the Kremlin and also cooperated with Voentorg and the Russian Ministry of Defence.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Layne|first=Nathan|date=15 June 2018|title=U.S. judge rejects firm's bid to see grand jury material in Russia troll case|language=en|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-russia-concord-idUSKBN1JB215|access-date=24 May 2021}}</ref>

Despite links to Alexei Soskovets, Nadejda Orlova, deputy head of the Committee for Youth Policy in Saint Petersburg, disputed a connection between her institution and the trolling offices.<ref name="NG_09.09.2013" />

Finnish journalist Jessikka Aro, who reported extensively on the pro-Russian trolling activities in Finland, was targeted by an organized campaign of hate, disinformation and harassment.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Aro |first=Jessikka |date=9 November 2015 |title=My Year as a Pro-Russia Troll Magnet: International Shaming Campaign and an SMS from Dead Father |language=en |work=Yle Kioski |url=http://kioski.yle.fi/omat/my-year-as-a-pro-russia-troll-magnet |url-status=dead |access-date=10 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170226083457/http://kioski.yle.fi/omat/my-year-as-a-pro-russia-troll-magnet |archive-date=26 February 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Aro |first=Jessikka |author-link=Jessikka Aro |date=24 June 2015 |title=This is What Pro-Russia Internet Propaganda Feels Like – Finns Have Been Tricked into Believing in Lies |language=en |work=Yle Kioski |url=http://kioski.yle.fi/omat/this-is-what-pro-russia-internet-propaganda-feels-like |access-date=31 May 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Higgins |first=Andrew |date=30 May 2016 |title=Effort to Expose Russia's 'Troll Army' Draws Vicious Retaliation |work={{wipe|The New York Times}} |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/31/world/europe/russia-finland-nato-trolls.html |access-date=31 May 2016 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

== Offices ==

=== Saint Petersburg ===

==== 2013: 131 Primorskoye Shosse, Olgino, Saint Petersburg ====
{{coord|59|59|42.7|N|30|07|49.7|E}}
[[File:55 Savushkina Street.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|One of the offices at 55 Savushkina Street in Saint Petersburg, Russia]]
As reported by ''Novaya Gazeta'', in the end of August 2013, the following message appeared in social networks: "Internet operators wanted! Job at chic office in Olgino!!! (st. Staraya Derevnia), salary 25960 per month (USD$780 as of 2013). Task: posting comments at profile sites in the Internet, writing thematic posts, blogs, social networks. Reports via screenshots. Individual schedule [...] Payment every week, 1180 per shift (from 8.00 to 16.00, from 10.30 to 18.30, from 14.00 to 22.00). PAYMENTS EVERY WEEK AND FREE MEALS!!! Official job placement or according to contract (at will). Tuition possible."<ref name="NG_09.09.2013" />

As reported by media and former employees, the office in Olgino, Primorskiy district, St.&nbsp;Peterburg had existed and had been functioning since September 2013. It was situated in a white cottage,<ref name="LI_04.09.2013"/> 15 minutes by an underground railway from Staraya Derevnia station, opposite Olgino railway station.<ref name="NG_09.09.2013" /> Workplaces for troll-employees were placed in basement rooms.<ref name="mr7.ru_04.09.2013" /><ref name="Kh97_09.09.2014">{{Cite news |last=<!--Anonymous; letter to ed? --> |date=9 September 2014 |script-title=ru:Тролль из Ольгино: Над Лукашенко отрывались как могли |language=ru |trans-title=Troll from Olgino: After Lukashenko, came out as best as they could |work=Khartyia'97 |url=http://www.charter97.org/ru/news/2014/9/9/114920/ |access-date=12 June 2016}}</ref><ref>[http://news.finance.ua/ua/news/~/320589 Де живуть тролі у РФ: як працюють інтернет-провокатори в Санкт-Петербурзі і хто ними заправляє] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150205230813/http://news.finance.ua/ua/news/~/320589 |date=5 February 2015 }} {{in lang|uk}}. (Where do trolls live in the Russian Federation: how do Internet provocateurs work in St. Petersburg and who feeds them) finance.ua. 5 March 2014</ref><ref>[http://censor.net.ua/resonance/253003/gde_jivut_trolli_kak_rabotayut_internetprovokatory_i_kto_imi_zapravlyaet Где живут тролли. Как работают интернет-провокаторы и кто ими заправляет] {{in lang|ru}}. (zapravlyaet Where trolls live. How internet provocateurs work and who runs them) TsenzorNet. 10 September 2013</ref><ref>[http://www.novayagazeta.ru/society/59903.html Где живут тролли. Как работают интернет-провокаторы в Санкт-Петербурге и кто ими заправляет] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150202092234/http://www.novayagazeta.ru/society/59903.html |date=2 February 2015 }} {{in lang|ru}}. (Where do trolls live? How Internet provocateurs work in St. Petersburg and who runs them) Novaya Gazeta. 9 September 2013</ref><ref>[http://zik.ua/ua/news/2014/06/05/amerykantsi_rozpochaly_polyuvannya_na_proplachenyh_kremlem_internettroliv_495048 Американці розпочали полювання на проплачених Кремлем інтернет-тролів] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150205235937/http://zik.ua/ua/news/2014/06/05/amerykantsi_rozpochaly_polyuvannya_na_proplachenyh_kremlem_internettroliv_495048 |date=5 February 2015 }} {{in lang|uk}}. (The Americans have launched a hunt for Internet trolls paid by the Kremlin) zik.ua. 5 June 2014</ref><ref>[http://www.dn.se/nyheter/varlden/de-ar-putins-soldater-pa-natet/ De är Putins soldater på nätet] {{in lang|sv}}. (They are Putin's online soldiers) DN.se. 5 February 2015</ref>

==== 2014: 55 Ulitsa Savushkina (Street), Saint Petersburg ====
{{coord|59|59|03.5|N|30|16|19.1|E}}

According to Russian online newspaper DP.ru, several months before October 2014 the office moved from Olgino to a four-story building at 55 Savushkina Street, Primorskiy district, St.&nbsp;Peterburg.<ref name="LI_28.10.2014">{{Cite news |last=Sofia Korzova |date=28 October 2014 |script-title=ru:СМИ: "Ольгинские тролли" стали "савушкинскими" |language=ru |trans-title='Trolls from Olgino' have become 'savushkinskimi' |work=Lentizdat |url=https://lenizdat.ru/articles/1124598/ |access-date=12 June 2016}}</ref><ref name="DP.Ru_28.10.2014">{{Cite news |date=28 October 2014 |script-title=ru:Тролли из Ольгино переехали в новый четырехэтажный офис на Савушкина |language=ru |trans-title=Trolls from Olgino moved to a new four-story office on Savushkina |work=DP.Ru |url=http://www.dp.ru/a/2014/10/27/Borotsja_s_omerzeniem_mo/ |access-date=12 June 2016}}</ref> As reported by journalists, the building is officially an uncompleted construction and stayed as such as of March 2015.<ref name="NG_11.03.2015">{{Cite news |last=Diana Khachatryan |date=11 March 2015 |script-title=ru:Как стать тролльхантером |language=ru |trans-title=How to become a troll-breaker |volume=24 |work=Novaya Gazeta |url=http://www.novayagazeta.ru/inquests/67574.html|access-date=12 June 2016}}</ref><ref>[http://www.dp.ru/a/2014/10/27/Borotsja_s_omerzeniem_mo/ Тролли из Ольгино переехали в новый четырехэтажный офис на Савушкина] {{in lang|ru}}. (Media: "Olginsky trolls" became "Savushkin") (Trolls from Olgino moved to a new four-story office on Savushkina) dp.ru. 28 October 2014</ref><ref>[http://lenizdat.ru/articles/1124598/ СМИ: «Ольгинские тролли» стали «савушкинскими»] {{in lang|ru}}. (Media: “Olginsky trolls” became “Savushkinsky) Lentizdat.ru. 28 October 2014</ref>

A ''{{wipe|The New York Times}}'' investigative reporter was told that the Internet Research Agency had shortened its name to "Internet Research," and as of June 2015 had been asked to leave the 55 Savushkina Street location "a couple of months ago" because "it was giving the entire building a bad reputation." A possibly related organization, ''FAN'' or Federal News Agency, was located in the building. ''The New York Times'' article describes various experiences reported by former employees of the Internet Research Agency at the Savushkina Street location. It also describes several disruptive hoaxes in the US and Europe, such as the Columbian Chemicals Plant explosion hoax, that may be attributable to the Internet Research Agency or similar Russian-based organizations.<ref name="chen20150602">{{Cite news |last=Chen |first=Adrian |date=2 June 2015 |title=The Agency: From a nondescript office building in St. Petersburg, Russia, an army of well-paid 'trolls' has tried to wreak havoc all around the Internet – and in real-life American communities |work=The New York Times Magazine |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/07/magazine/the-agency.html |access-date=3 June 2015 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

==== 1 February 2018: Optikov street, 4, building 3, Lakhta-2 business center, Lakhta, Saint Petersburg ====
{{coord|59|59|41.5068|N|30|14|44.4588|E}}

Reported by the Russian online newspaper DP.ru in December 2017, the office moved from the four-story building at 55 Savushkina Street to Lakhta on four floors at {{Interlanguage link multi|Optikov street|ru|3=Улица Оптиков (Санкт-Петербург)}}, 4 building 3 ({{lang-ru|link=no|Санкт-Петербург: улица Оптикова, 4 корпус 3}}) near {{Interlanguage link multi|Staroderevenskaya street|ru|3=Стародеревенская улица}} ({{lang-ru|link=no|Стародеревенская улица}}) in the Lakhta-2 business center ({{lang-ru|link=no|«Лахта-2»}}) on 1 February 2018.<ref name="DPru29122017">{{Cite news |last=Панкратова |first=Ирина (Pankratova, Irina) |date=29 December 2017 |title=Новогодний переезд. "Фабрика троллей" перебирается из здания на улице Савушкина в БЦ бывших жертвователей избирательной кампании Путина: "Тролли с улицы Савушкина" стали "лахтинскими троллями". "Фабрика троллей" переезжает из легендарного офиса в недавно построенный БЦ "Лахта-2". Судя по всему, фабрика расширяется: новое здание не только современнее и статуснее, но и больше по площади. |language=ru |trans-title=New Year moving. "Troll Factory" moves from the building on Savushkina Street to the BC of former Putin campaign supporters: "Trolls from Savushkina Street" became "Lakhta trolls." The Troll Factory moves from the legendary office to the newly built Lakhta-2 business center. Apparently, the factory is expanding: the new building is not only more modern and status, but also larger in area. |work=DP.Ru |url=https://www.dp.ru/a/2017/12/27/Fabrika_trollej_pereezzhae |access-date=3 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180103143726/https://www.dp.ru/a/2017/12/27/Fabrika_trollej_pereezzhae |archive-date=3 January 2018}}</ref><ref name="RBC30122017">{{Cite news |date=30 December 2017 |title="Фабрика троллей" переехала в "Лахту-2": "Фабрика троллей" решила занять бизнес-центр большей площади в Санкт-Петербурге. Из офисов на улице Савушкина уже съехала часть сотрудников — они освободили два этажа, а еще два должны освободить до 1 февраля 2018 года |language=ru |trans-title=Troll Factory moved to Lakhta-2: The Troll Factory decided to occupy a larger business center in St. Petersburg. Some of the employees have already moved out of the offices on Savushkina Street – they have vacated two floors, and two more must be vacated before 1 February 2018 |work=RBC |url=https://www.rbc.ru/business/30/12/2017/5a465d969a79472a87a3c920 |access-date=3 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171230024103/https://www.rbc.ru/business/30/12/2017/5a465d969a79472a87a3c920 |archive-date=30 December 2017}}</ref><ref name="Svoboda06032018">{{Cite news |last=Волчек |first=Дмитрий (Bolchek, Dmitry) |date=6 March 2018 |title="Кремлеботами работают неудачники". Грустные будни "фабрики троллей" |language=ru |trans-title="The losers are working with Kremlin workers." Sad weekdays of the "troll factory" |work=Radio Svoboda |url=https://www.svoboda.org/a/29079871.html |access-date=3 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180306151415/https://www.svoboda.org/a/29079871.html |archive-date=6 March 2018}}</ref> Beginning in February 2018, they were also known as the "Lakhta Trolls" ({{lang-ru|link=no|Лахта Тролли}}).<ref name=DPru29122017/>

=== Other cities ===
''Novaya Gazeta'' reported that, according to Alexey Soskovets, head of the office in Olgino, North-Western Service Agency was hiring employees for similar projects in Moscow and other cities in 2013.<ref name="NG_09.09.2013" />

== Work organization ==
More than 1,000 paid bloggers and commenters reportedly worked only in a single building at Savushkina Street in 2015.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Tim Lister |last2=Jim Sciutto |last3=Mary Ilyushina |title=Putin's 'chef,' the man behind the troll factory |url=http://www.cnn.com/2017/10/17/politics/russian-oligarch-putin-chef-troll-factory/index.html |publisher=CNN|date=17 October 2017 }}</ref> Many other employees work remotely. According to ''BuzzFeed News'', more than 600 people were generally employed in the trolls' office earlier, in June 2014.<ref name="BuzzFeed_02.06.2014" /> Each commentator has a daily quota of 100 comments.<ref name="NG_09.09.2013" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theregister.com/2020/08/06/china_russia_disinformation_black_hat/|title=When it comes to hacking societies, Russia remains the master at sowing discord and disinformation online|first=Shaun Nichols in San|last=Francisco|website=The Register}}</ref>

Trolls took shifts writing mainly in blogs on [[Social:LiveJournal|LiveJournal]] and Vkontakte, about subjects along the propaganda lines assigned. Included among the employees are artists who draw political cartoons.<ref name="NG_11.03.2015" /> They work for 12 hours every other two days. A blogger's quota is ten posts per shift, each post at least 750 characters. A commenter's norm is 126 comments and two posts per account. Each blogger is in charge of three accounts.<ref name="LI_28.10.2014" /><ref name="DP.Ru_28.10.2014" />

Employees at the Olgino office earned 25,000 Russian rubles per month (at the time roughly US${{To USD|25000|RUS|year=2014}}); those at the Savushkina Street office earned approximately 40,000 Russian rubles.<ref name="LI_28.10.2014" /><ref name="DP.Ru_28.10.2014" /> In May 2014, Fontanka.ru described schemes for plundering the federal budget, intended to go toward the trolling organization.<ref name="Fontanka_29.05.2014" /><ref name="UK_05.06.2014" /> In 2017 another whistleblower said that with bonuses and long working hours the salary can reach 80,000 rubles.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Confessions of a pro-Kremlin troll {{!}} EU vs Disinformation |url=https://euvsdisinfo.eu/confessions-of-a-pro-kremlin-troll/ |access-date=3 May 2017 |website=euvsdisinfo.eu |date=26 April 2017 |language=en-US |archive-date=18 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200618140751/https://euvsdisinfo.eu/confessions-of-a-pro-kremlin-troll/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

An employee interviewed by ''{{wipe|The Washington Post}}'' described the work: {{blockquote|I immediately felt like a character in the book ''1984'' by [[Biography:George Orwell|George Orwell]] — a place where you have to write that white is black and black is white. Your first feeling, when you ended up there, was that you were in some kind of factory that turned lying, telling untruths, into an industrial assembly line.<ref name="Orwell">{{Cite news |last=Troianovski |first=Anton |date=17 February 2018 |title=A former Russian troll speaks: 'It was like being in Orwell's world' |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2018/02/17/a-former-russian-troll-speaks-it-was-like-being-in-orwells-world/ |access-date=19 February 2018}}</ref>}}

According to a 2018 ''Kommersant'' article, Yaroslov Ignatovsky ({{lang-ru|link=no|Ярослав Ринатович Игнатовский}}; born 1983, Leningrad) heads Politgen ({{lang-ru|link=no|"Политген"}}) and is a political strategist that has coordinated the trolls' efforts for Prigozhin.<ref name=Kommersant20042018>[https://web.archive.org/web/20190331132528/https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/3607961 Российские политтехнологи изведают Африку: Евгений Пригожин организует социсследования на континенте] (Russian political technologists will explore Africa: Yevgeny Prigozhin organizes social studies on the continent)</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://rapc.pro/ignatovski|title=Члены РАПК – Ярослав Игнатовский|trans-title=Members of the RAPC - Yaroslav Ignatovsky|website=rapc.pro|access-date=10 June 2021|archive-date=30 September 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220930050022/http://rapc.pro/ignatovski|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.politgen.ru/company/boss/ |title=Ярослав Игнатовский – "ПолитГен" |trans-title=Yaroslav Ignatovsky – "PolitGen" |date=28 January 2021 |website= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210128154000/https://www.politgen.ru/company/boss/ |archive-date=28 January 2021 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

== Trolling themes ==
According to the testimonies of the investigative journalists and former employees of the offices, the main topics for posts included:<ref name="NG_09.09.2013" /><ref name="mr7.ru_30.05.2014" /><ref name="LI_28.10.2014" /><ref name="DP.Ru_28.10.2014" />
* Criticism of Alexei Navalny, his sponsors, and Russian opposition in general;<ref name="NG_11.03.2015" />
* Criticism of {{wipe|Ukraine}}'s and the United States' foreign policies, and of the top politicians of these states;
* Praise for Vladimir Putin and the policy of the Russian Federation;
* Praise for and defense of Bashar al-Assad.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Video: My life as a pro-Putin propagandist in Russia's secret 'troll factory' |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/russia/11656043/My-life-as-a-pro-Putin-propagandist-in-Russias-secret-troll-factory.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150606194315/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/russia/11656043/My-life-as-a-pro-Putin-propagandist-in-Russias-secret-troll-factory.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=6 June 2015 |access-date=31 July 2018 |work=The Daily Telegraph}}</ref>

The IRA has also leveraged trolls to erode trust in American political and media institutions and showcase certain politicians as incompetent.<ref name=":0" /> Journalists have written that themes of trolling were consistent with those of other Russian propaganda outlets in topics and timing. Technical points used by trolls were taken mainly from content disseminated by RT (formerly Russia Today).<ref name="NG_11.03.2015" /><ref name="DP.Ru_28.10.2014" />

A 2015 BBC News investigation identified the Olgino factory as the most likely producer of a September 2015 "Saiga 410K review"<ref>{{Cite news |date=23 March 2016 |title=BBC Says Russia's Troll Factory Faked a Video Showing a US Soldier Shooting at a Quran |language=en |url=https://globalvoices.org/2016/03/23/bbc-says-russias-troll-factory-faked-a-video-showing-a-us-soldier-shooting-at-a-koran/comment-page-2/ |access-date=13 November 2023}}</ref> video where an actor posing as a U.S. soldier shoots at a book that turns out to be a [[Religion:Quran|Quran]], which sparked outrage. BBC News found among other irregularities that the soldier's uniform is not used by the U.S. military and is easily purchased in Russia, and that the actor filmed was most likely a bartender from Saint Petersburg related to a troll factory employee.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Andrew Soshnikov |date=23 March 2016 |script-title=ru:Фейковый расстрел: кто стоит за роликом об уничтожении Корана |language=ru |trans-title=Fake shot: Who is behind the filming of the destruction of the Quran |work=BBC Russian Service |url=http://www.bbc.com/russian/society/2016/03/160315_smj_trolls_make_haram_video |access-date=24 March 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Ross Logan |date=30 March 2016 |title=Video of 'US soldier shooting Qur'an' is a fake made in Russia |language=en |work=Daily Mirror |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/video-us-soldier-shooting-quran-7654058 |access-date=12 June 2016}}</ref>

The citizen-journalism site ''Bellingcat'' identified the team from Olgino as the real authors of a video attributed to the Azov Battalion in which masked soldiers threaten the Netherlands for organizing the referendum on the Ukraine–European Union Association Agreement.<ref>{{Cite news |last=<!--Anonymity of reporter(s); no by-line.--> |date=3 April 2016 |title=Behind the Dutch Terror Threat Video: The St. Petersburg 'Troll Factory' Connection |language=en-US |work=Bellingcat |url=https://www.bellingcat.com/news/uk-and-europe/2016/04/03/azov-video/ |access-date=3 April 2016}}</ref>

== Organized anti-Ukrainian campaign ==
In the beginning of April 2014 there began an organized online campaign to shift [[Philosophy:Public opinion|public opinion]] in the Western world in a way that would be useful for Russian authorities regarding the Russian military intervention in Ukraine in 2014. Hacked and leaked documents from that time contain instructions for commenters posting at the websites of Fox News, ''The Huffington Post'', ''TheBlaze'', ''Politico'', and WorldNetDaily. The requirement for the working hours for the trolls is also mentioned: 50 comments under news articles per day. Each blogger had to manage six accounts on Facebook, post at least three posts every day, and participate twice in the group discussions. Other employees had to manage 10 accounts on Twitter, publishing 50 tweets every day. Journalists concluded that Igor Osadchiy was a probable leader of the project, and the campaign itself was run by Internet Research Agency Ltd. Osadchiy denied his connection to the agency.<ref name="BuzzFeed_02.06.2014" />

The company was also one of the main sponsors of an anti-Western exhibition ''Material Evidence''.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Andy Cush |date=20 August 2015 |title=Emails Link Kremlin Troll Farm to Bizarre New York Photography Exhibit |work=Gawker |url=http://gawker.com/emails-link-kremlin-troll-farm-to-bizarre-new-york-phot-1725347179 |url-status=dead |access-date=13 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150920093546/http://gawker.com/emails-link-kremlin-troll-farm-to-bizarre-new-york-phot-1725347179 |archive-date=20 September 2015}}</ref>

In the beginning of 2016, Ukraine's state-owned news agency Ukrinform claimed to expose a system of bots in social networks, which called for violence against the Ukrainian government and for starting "The Third Maidan".{{efn|"Maidan" refers to Independence Square in [[Place:Kyiv|Kyiv]], which became synonymous with mass political protests following the 2004 Orange Revolution and the 2013 Euromaidan, i.e. the two Maidans.}} They reported that the organizer of this system is the former anti-Ukrainian combatant Sergiy Zhuk from Donbas. He allegedly performed his Internet activity from Vnukovo District in Moscow.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lana Samokhvalova |date=21 January 2016 |script-title=uk:Московський слід колорадського Жука, або Хто і як готує "Майдан-3" |language=uk |trans-title=Moscow's cyber roaches, or who's calling for 'Maidan 3' |agency=Ukrinform |url=http://www.ukrinform.ua/rubric-politycs/1948496-moskovskij-slid-koloradskogo-zuka-abo-hto-i-ak-gotue-majdan3.html |access-date=21 January 2016}}</ref>

== Reactions ==
=== Foreign ===
In March 2014, the Polish edition of ''Newsweek'' expressed suspicion that Russia was employing people to "bombard" its website with pro-Russian comments on Ukraine-related articles.<ref name=NWPL140304/> Poland's governmental [[Computer emergency response team|computer emergency response team]] later confirmed that pro-Russia commentary had flooded Polish Internet portals at the start of the Ukrainian crisis.<ref name=JT150429/><ref name=JT150429-2/> German-language media websites were also flooded with pro-Russia comments in the spring of 2014.<ref name=Spiegel140530/><ref name=SDZ140613/><ref name=NZZ140629/><ref name=Reut141125/><ref name=AP161228/>

In late May 2014, the hacker group Anonymous International began publishing documents received from hacked emails of Internet Research Agency managers.<ref name="UK_05.06.2014" /><ref name="mr7.ru_30.05.2014" />

In May–June 2014, Internet trolls invaded news media sites and massively posted pro-Russian comments in broken English.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Dewey |first=Caitlin |date=4 June 2016 |title=Hunting for paid Russian trolls in the Washington Post comments section |newspaper={{wipe|The Washington Post}} |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2014/06/04/hunting-for-paid-russian-trolls-in-the-washington-post-comments-section/ |access-date=12 June 2016}}</ref><ref name="UK_05.06.2014" /><ref name="gn140504">{{Cite news |last=Elliott |first=Chris |date=4 May 2014 |title=The readers' editor on… pro-Russia trolling below the line on Ukraine stories |work={{wipe|The Guardian}} |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/may/04/pro-russia-trolls-ukraine-guardian-online |access-date=23 December 2014}}</ref>

In March 2015 a service enabling censorship of sources of anti-Ukrainian propaganda in social networks inside Ukraine was launched.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Olga Minchenko |date=25 March 2015 |title=В Україні запустили сервіс блокування антиукраїнської пропаганди TrolleyBust |language=uk |trans-title=Ukraine has launched a service to block anti-Ukrainian propaganda source TrolleyBust |work=Watcher |url=http://watcher.com.ua/2015/03/25/v-ukrayini-zapustyly-servis-blokuvannya-antyukrayinskoyi-propahandy-trolleybust/ |access-date=12 June 2016}}</ref><ref>[http://trolleybust.com/ TrolleyBust service] (in Ukrainian and Russian).</ref>

The United States Justice Department announced the indictment on 16 February 2018, of the Internet Research Agency while also naming more than a dozen individual suspects who allegedly worked there as part of the special counsel's investigation into criminal interference with the 2016 election.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Horwitz |first1=Sari |last2=Barrett |first2=Devlin |last3=Timberg |first3=Craig |date=16 February 2018 |title=Russian troll farm, 13 suspects indicted for interference in U.S. election |language=en-US |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/russian-troll-farm-13-suspects-indicted-for-interference-in-us-election/2018/02/16/2504de5e-1342-11e8-9570-29c9830535e5_story.html |access-date=16 February 2018 |issn=0190-8286}}</ref>

== Assessments ==
Russian bloggers Anton Nosik, Rustem Adagamov, and Dmitriy Aleshkovskiy have said that paid Internet-trolls don't change public opinion. Their usage is just a way to steal budget money.<ref name="Fontanka_29.05.2014" /><ref name="UK_05.06.2014" /><ref name="mr7.ru_30.05.2014" /> 

Leonid Volkov, a politician working for Alexei Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation, suggests that the point of sponsoring paid Internet trolling is to make the Internet so distasteful that ordinary people are not willing to participate.<ref name="chen20150602" /> The Columbian Chemicals Plant explosion hoax on 11 September 2014, was the work of Internet Research Agency.<ref name="chen20150602" />

According to a 2019 report by [[Organization:University of Oxford|Oxford]] researchers including sociologist Philip N. Howard, social media played a major role in political polarization in the United States, due to computational propaganda – "the use of automation, algorithms, and big-data analytics to manipulate public life"—such as the spread of fake news and conspiracy theories. The researchers highlighted the role of the Russian Internet Research Agency in attempts to undermine democracy in the US and exacerbate existing political divisions. The most prominent methods of misinformation were "organic posting, not advertisements", and influence operation activity increased after the 2016 and was not limited to the 2016 election.<ref name=":5">{{Cite journal |last1=Howard |first1=Philip |last2=Ganesh |first2=Bharath |last3=Liotsiou |first3=Dimitra |last4=Kelly |first4=John |last5=François |first5=Camille |date=1 October 2019 |title=The IRA, Social Media and Political Polarization in the United States, 2012–2018 |url=https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/senatedocs/1 |journal=U.S. Senate Documents}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=18 December 2018 |title=Report: Russia still using social media to roil US politics |url=https://apnews.com/article/8890210ce2ce4256a7df6e4ab65c33d3 |website=AP NEWS}}</ref> Examples of efforts included "campaigning for African American voters to boycott elections or follow the wrong voting procedures in 2016", "encouraging extreme right-wing voters to be more confrontational", and "spreading sensationalist, conspiratorial, and other forms of junk political news and misinformation to voters across the political spectrum."<ref name=":5" />

The political scientist Thomas Rid has said that the IRA was the least effective of all Russia's interference campaigns in the 2016 U.S. election, despite its outsized press coverage, and that it made no measurable impact on American voters.<ref name="Rid">{{cite book |last1=Rid |first1=Thomas |title=Active Measures: The Secret History of Disinformation and Political Warfare |date=2020 |publisher=Farrar, Straus and Giroux |location=New York |page=409}}</ref>

A study published in ''Nature'' in 2023 found "no evidence of a meaningful relationship between exposure to the Russian foreign influence campaign and changes in attitudes, polarization, or voting behavior".<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Eady |first1=Gregory |last2=Paskhalis |first2=Tom |last3=Zilinsky |first3=Jan |last4=Bonneau |first4=Richard |last5=Nagler |first5=Jonathan |last6=Tucker |first6=Joshua A. |title=Exposure to the Russian Internet Research Agency foreign influence campaign on Twitter in the 2016 US election and its relationship to attitudes and voting behavior |journal=Nature Communications |date=9 January 2023 |volume=14 |issue=1 |pages=62 |doi=10.1038/s41467-022-35576-9 |url=https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-35576-9 |access-date=29 December 2023 |language=en |issn=2041-1723|doi-access=free |pmc=9829855 }}</ref>

== Additional activities of organizers ==
Based on the documents published by Anonymous International, Concord Management and Consulting was linked to the funding of several media outlets in Ukraine and Russia, including Kharkiv News Agency,<ref name="mr7.ru_30.05.2014" /> ''News of Neva'', ''Newspaper About Newspapers'', ''Business Dialog'', and ''Journalist Truth''.<ref name="Fontanka_29.05.2014" />

The Columbian Chemicals Plant explosion hoax of 11 September 2014, which claimed an explosion had taken place at a chemical plant in Centerville, St. Mary Parish, Louisiana, has been attributed in June 2015, by ''The New York Times Magazine'', as "a highly coordinated [[Social:Disinformation|disinformation]] campaign" and that the "virtual assault" was the work of the Internet Research Agency.<ref name="Chen2015">{{Cite news |last=Chen |first=Adrian |date=21 June 2015 |orig-year=Composed 2015-06-02, first published in English 7 June 2015 |title=The agency |work=The New York Times Sunday Magazine |location=New York |publication-date=7 June 2015 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/07/magazine/the-agency.html|url-status=live |access-date=2 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150623234039/http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/07/magazine/the-agency.html?_r=0 |archive-date=23 June 2015 |issn=0028-7822}}</ref>

Three months later, the same accounts posted false messages on Twitter about an [[Medicine:Ebola|Ebola]] outbreak in Atlanta under the keyword #EbolaInAtlanta, quickly relayed and picked up by users living in the city. A video was then posted on YouTube, showing a medical team treating an alleged Ebola victim at Atlanta Airport. On the same day, a different group launched a rumor on Twitter under the keyword #shockingmurderinatlanta, reporting the death of a disarmed black woman shot by police. Again, a blurry and poorly filmed video is broadcast to support the rumor.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Cop shooting, Ebola scare in Atlanta invented by Russians: Report |url=https://www.ajc.com/news/cop-shooting-ebola-scare-atlanta-invented-russians-report/Ux6zeq8OQeU3pgHMyPKP3O/ |newspaper=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution}}</ref>

Between July 2014 and September 2017, the IRA used bots and trolls on Twitter [[Medicine:Vaccine controversies|to sow discord about the safety of vaccines]].<ref name="WeaponizedHealthCommunication">{{Cite journal |last1=Broniatowski |first1=David A. |last2=Jamison |first2=Amelia M. |last3=Qi |first3=SiHua |last4=AlKulaib |first4=Lulwah |last5=Chen |first5=Tao |last6=Benton |first6=Adrian |last7=Quinn |first7=Sandra C. |last8=Dredze |first8=Mark |date=23 August 2018 |title=Weaponized Health Communication: Twitter Bots and Russian Trolls Amplify the Vaccine Debate |journal=American Journal of Public Health |volume=108 |issue=10 |pages=1378–1384 |doi=10.2105/AJPH.2018.304567 |issn=1541-0048 |pmc=6137759 |pmid=30138075}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Glenza |first=Jessica |date=23 August 2018 |title=Russian trolls 'spreading discord' over vaccine safety online |url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/aug/23/russian-trolls-spread-vaccine-misinformation-on-twitter |access-date=23 August 2018 |website={{wipe|The Guardian}}}}</ref> The campaign used sophisticated Twitter bots to amplify highly polarizing pro-vaccine and anti-vaccine messages containing the hashtag #VaccinateUS.<ref name=WeaponizedHealthCommunication /> In November 2017, ''{{wipe|The Guardian}}'' cited a [[Organization:University of Edinburgh|University of Edinburgh]] study which found that hundreds of IRA accounts were also trying to influence UK politics by tweeting about Brexit.<ref>{{Cite web |date=14 November 2017 |title=Russia used hundreds of fake accounts to tweet about Brexit, data shows |url=http://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/nov/14/how-400-russia-run-fake-accounts-posted-bogus-brexit-tweets |access-date=9 March 2022 |website=The Guardian |language=en}}</ref>

In September 2017 Facebook said that ads had been "geographically targeted".<ref name="washingtonpost.com">{{Cite news |title=Russian firm tied to pro-Kremlin propaganda advertised on Facebook during election |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/facebook-says-it-sold-political-ads-to-russian-company-during-2016-election/2017/09/06/32f01fd2-931e-11e7-89fa-bb822a46da5b_story.html |access-date=7 September 2017 |newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref><ref name="rferl.org">{{Cite news |title=Facebook Manipulation Echoes Accounts From Russian 'Troll Factory' |url=https://www.rferl.org/a/us-russia-facebook-manipulation-echoes-troll-factory-accounts/28722595.html |access-date=7 September 2017 |website=RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty|last1=Synovitz |first1=Ron }}</ref> Facebook revealed that during the 2016 United States presidential election, IRA had purchased advertisements on the website for US$100,000, 25% of which were geographically targeted to the U.S.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Cloud |first1=David S |last2=Pierson |first2=David |date=21 September 2017 |title=Facebook will provide ads bought by Russian company to congressional committees investigating Trump ties |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-facebook-russia-20170921-story.html}}</ref> Facebook's chief security officer said that the ads "appeared to focus on amplifying divisive social and political messages across the ideological spectrum".<ref name="washingtonpost.com" /><ref name="rferl.org" />

{{Blockquote|text=In reviewing the ads buys, we have found approximately $100,000 in ad spending from June of 2015 to May of 2017 – associated with roughly 3,000 ads – that was connected to about 470 inauthentic accounts and Pages in violation of our policies. Our analysis suggests these accounts and Pages were affiliated with one another and likely operated out of Russia.|sign=Facebook's chief security officer Alex Stamos, September 6, 2017 |source=<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=6 September 2017 |title=Facebook Says Russian Accounts Bought $100,000 in Ads During the 2016 Election |magazine=Time |url=http://time.com/4930532/facebook-russian-accounts-2016-election/}}</ref>}}

According to a 17 October 2017 ''BuzzFeed News'' report, IRA recruited four African-American activists into taking real action via protests and self-defense training in what would seem to be a further attempt to exploit racial grievances.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Adams |first1=Rosalind |last2=Brown |first2=Hayes |date=17 October 2017 |title=These Americans Were Tricked Into Working For Russia. They Say They Had No Idea. |work=BuzzFeed News |url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/rosalindadams/these-americans-were-tricked-into-working-for-russia-they}}</ref> According to reporting by ''Vanity Fair'', up until that point, most known efforts had been aimed at "weaponizing the far-right".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kosoff |first=Maya |date=17 October 2017 |title=The Russian Troll Farm That Weaponized Facebook Had American Boots on the Ground; The shadowy Internet Research Agency duped American activists into holding protests and self-defense classes. |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017/10/the-russian-troll-farm-that-weaponized-facebook-had-american-boots-on-the-ground |access-date=20 October 2017 |website=Vanity Fair}}</ref>

A December 2018 report by {{wipe|The New York Times}} based on U.S. Senate data noted that the Internet Research Agency had created 81 Facebook pages around the time of the 2016 election. Of these, 30 pages specifically targeted African-Americans, attracting a total of 1.2 million followers. During the same time period, it had created 25 pages targeting right-wing audiences, and these had attracted a total of 1.4 million followers.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |last1=Shane |first1=Scott |last2=Frenkel |first2=Sheera |date=17 December 2018 |title=Russian 2016 Influence Operation Targeted African-Americans on Social Media |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/17/us/politics/russia-2016-influence-campaign.html}}</ref> According to ''The New York Times'',<ref name=":1" /> <blockquote>While the right-wing pages promoted Mr. Trump’s candidacy, the left-wing pages scorned Mrs. Clinton while promoting Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Jill Stein, the Green Party candidate. The voter suppression effort was focused particularly on Sanders supporters and African-Americans, urging them to shun Mrs. Clinton in the general election and either vote for Ms. Stein or stay home.</blockquote>Once the election was concluded, the IRA posted messages mocking accusations of Russian interference, with one post reading: “You’ve lost and don’t know what to do? Just blame it on Russian hackers.”<ref name=":1" />

On 16 February 2018, the Internet Research Agency, along with 13 Russian individuals and two other Russian organizations, was indicted following an investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller with charges stemming from "impairing, obstructing, and defeating the lawful functions of government."<ref name="guard021618">{{Cite news |last=Swaine |first=Jon |date=16 February 2018 |title=Thirteen Russians criminally charged for interfering in US election, Mueller announces |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/feb/16/robert-mueller-russians-charged-election |access-date=16 February 2018}}</ref>

On 23 March 2018, ''The Daily Beast'' revealed new details about IRA gathered from leaked internal documents,<ref name=LeakedIRADocumentsDailyBeast20180301 /> which showed that IRA used [[Company:Reddit|Reddit]] and [[Company:Tumblr|Tumblr]] as part of its influence campaign.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Collins |first1=Ben |last2=Russell |first2=Josh |date=1 March 2018 |title=Russians Used Reddit and Tumblr to Troll the 2016 Election |work=The Daily Beast |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/russians-used-reddit-and-tumblr-to-troll-the-2016-election |access-date=29 March 2018}}</ref> On the same day, Tumblr announced that they had banned 84 accounts linked to IRA, saying that they had spread misinformation through conventional postings rather than advertisements.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Vanian |first=Jonathan |date=23 March 2018 |title=Tumblr Confirms That Russian Trolls Spread Misinformation On Its Service |url=http://fortune.com/2018/03/23/tumblr-russia-trolls-its-been-dealing-with-russian-trolls-ira/ |website=Fortune}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Lomas |first=Natasha |date=24 March 2018 |title=Tumblr confirms 84 accounts linked to Kremlin trolls |url=https://techcrunch.com/2018/03/23/tumblr-confirms-84-accounts-linked-to-kremlin-trolls/ |website=Tech Crunch}}</ref>

In October 2018 the US Justice Department filed charges against Russian accountant Elena Khusyaynova for working with the IRA to influence not only the 2016 elections but also the upcoming 2018 midterm elections.{{needs update|date=March 2020}}{{citation needed|date=March 2020}}

=== Rallies and protests organized by IRA in the United States ===
{{see|Russia and Black Lives Matter}}
[[File:Michael Moore at the march against Trump, New York City (30914156636).jpg|thumb|[[Biography:Michael Moore|Michael Moore]] at the anti-Trump rally in New York City, 12 November 2016, which was allegedly organized by a Russian group.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sommer |first=Will |date=31 October 2017 |title=Thousands attended protest organized by Russians on Facebook |url=https://thehill.com/policy/technology/358025-thousands-attended-protest-organized-by-russians-on-facebook |access-date=20 March 2019 |website=The Hill |language=en}}</ref>]]

On 4 April 2016, a rally in Buffalo, New York protested the death of India Cummings, a black woman who had recently died in police custody. IRA's "Blacktivist" Facebook account actively promoted the event and reached out directly to local activists on Facebook Messenger asking them to circulate petitions and print. "Blacktivist" supplied the petitions and poster artwork.<ref name="LeakedIRADocumentsDailyBeast20180301">{{Cite news |last1=Ackerman |first1=Spencer |last2=Resnick |first2=Gideon |last3=Collins |first3=Ben |date=1 March 2018 |title=Leaked: Secret Documents From Russia's Election Trolls |work=The Daily Beast |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/exclusive-secret-documents-from-russias-election-trolls-leak/ |access-date=29 March 2018}}</ref>

On 16 April 2016, a rally protesting the death of Freddie Gray attracted large crowds in Baltimore. IRA's "Blacktivist" Facebook group promoted and organized the event, including reaching out to local activists.<ref name="Levin">{{Cite web |last=Levin |first=Sam |date=30 September 2017 |title=Did Russia fake black activism on Facebook to sow division in the US? |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/sep/30/blacktivist-facebook-account-russia-us-election |access-date=2 April 2018 |website={{wipe|The Guardian}}}}</ref>

On 23 April 2016, a small group of white-power demonstrators held a rally they called "Rock Stone Mountain" at [[Earth:Stone Mountain|Stone Mountain]] Park near Stone Mountain, Georgia. They were confronted by a large group of anti-racist counterprotestors, and some violent clashes ensued. The protest was heavily promoted by IRA accounts on [[Company:Tumblr|Tumblr]], Twitter, and Facebook, and the IRA website blackmatters.com. The IRA used its Blacktivist Facebook account to reach out, to no avail, to activist and academic Barbara Williams Emerson, the daughter of Hosea Williams, to help promote the protests. Afterward, RT blamed anti-racists for violence and promoted two videos shot at the event.<ref name=LeakedIRADocumentsDailyBeast20180301 />

On 2 May 2016, a second rally was held in Buffalo, New York, protesting the death of India Cummings. Like the 4 April rally, the event was heavily promoted by IRA's "Blacktivist" Facebook account, including attempted outreach to local activists.<ref name=LeakedIRADocumentsDailyBeast20180301 />

On 21 May 2016, two competing rallies were held in Houston to alternately protest against and defend the recently opened Library of Islamic Knowledge at the Islamic Da'wah Center. The "Stop Islamization of Texas" rally was organized by the Facebook group "Heart of Texas". The posting for the event encouraged participants to bring guns. A spokesman for the group conversed with the Houston Press via email but declined to give a name. The other rally, "Save Islamic Knowledge", was organized by another Facebook group called "United Muslims of America" for the same time and location. Both Facebook groups were later revealed to be IRA accounts.<ref name="Malisow">{{Cite web |last=Malisow |first=Craig |date=11 May 2016 |title=Hate Group Planning Islamic Library Protest Totally Doesn't Think They're a Hate Group |url=http://www.houstonpress.com/news/hate-group-planning-islamic-library-protest-totally-doesnt-think-theyre-a-hate-group-8393815 |access-date=30 March 2018 |website=Houston Press}}</ref><ref name="FacebookPhonyEventsWapo20180125">{{Cite news |last1=Timberg |first1=Craig |last2=Dwoskin |first2=Elizabeth |date=25 January 2018 |title=Russians got tens of thousands of Americans to RSVP for their phony political events on Facebook |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2018/01/25/russians-got-tens-of-thousands-of-americans-to-rsvp-for-their-phony-political-events-on-facebook/?hpid=hp_no-name_no-name%3Apage%2Fbreaking-news-bar}}</ref>

On 25 May 2016, the [[Religion:Westboro Baptist Church|Westboro Baptist Church]] held its annual protest of Lawrence High School graduation ceremonies in Lawrence, Kansas. The "LGBT United" Facebook group organized a counter protest to confront the Westboro Baptist Church protest, including by placing an ad on Facebook and contacting local people. About a dozen counter showed up. Lawrence High School students did not participate in the counter protest because they were skeptical of the counter protest organizers. "LGBT United" was an IRA account that appears to have been created specifically for this event.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hlavacek |first=Joanna |date=1 November 2017 |title=Facebook ad promoting 2016 Lawrence protest among those paid for by Russian trolls |url=http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2017/nov/01/facebook-ad-promoting-2016-lawrence-protest-among-/ |access-date=1 April 2018 |website=Lawrence Journal-World}}</ref>

"LGBT United" organized a candlelight vigil on 25 June 2016, for the Pulse nightclub shooting victims in Orlando, Florida.<ref name=WhatRusiaReallyWantsNationalReview20171031 /><ref name="FacebookRussiaAdsNYT20171002">{{Cite news |last1=Isaac |first1=Mike |last2=Shane |first2=Scott |date=2 October 2017 |title=Facebook's Russia-Linked Ads Came in Many Disguises |work={{wipe|The New York Times}} |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/02/technology/facebook-russia-ads-.html |access-date=2 April 2018}}</ref>

[[File:Philando Castile March - St. Paul, Minnesota (28101558012).jpg|thumb|A protest in response to the Philando Castile shooting in July 2016]]
IRA's "Don't Shoot" Facebook group and affiliated "Don't Shoot Us" website tried to organize a protest outside St. Paul, Minnesota police headquarters on 10 July 2016, in response to the 6 July fatal police shooting of Philando Castile. Some local activists became suspicious of the motives behind the event because St. Paul police were not involved in the shooting. Castille had been shot by a St. Anthony police officer in nearby Falcon Heights. Local activists contacted "Don't Shoot." After being pressed on who they were and who supported them, "Don't Shoot" agreed to move the protest to St. Anthony police headquarters. The concerned local activists investigated further and urged not to participate after deciding "Don't Shoot" was a "total troll job." "Don't Shoot" organizers eventually relinquished control of the event to local organizers, who subsequently declined to accept any money offered by "Don't Shoot" to cover expenses.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Furst |first=Randy |date=1 November 2017 |title=Did Russian hackers organize Castile protest? Activists say no |url=https://www.sctimes.com/story/news/local/minnesota/2017/11/01/did-russian-hackers-organize-castile-protest-activists-say-no/820782001/ |access-date=2 April 2018 |website=SC Times}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last1=O'Sullivan |first1=Donie |last2=Byers |first2=Dylan |date=13 October 2017 |title=Exclusive: Even Pokémon Go used by extensive Russian-linked meddling effort |url=https://money.cnn.com/2017/10/12/media/dont-shoot-us-russia-pokemon-go/index.html |access-date=2 April 2018 |website=CNN Money}}</ref>

A Black Lives Matter protest rally was held in Dallas on 10 July 2016. A "Blue Lives Matter" counter protest was held across the street. The "Blue Lives Matter" protest was organized by the "Heart of Texas" Facebook group controlled by the IRA.<ref name="RussiaOrganizeProtestsVanityFair20171020">{{Cite web |last=Kosoff |first=Maya |date=30 October 2017 |title=How Russia Secretly Orchestrated Dozens of U.S. Protests |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017/10/how-russia-secretly-orchestrated-dozens-of-us-protests |access-date=31 March 2018 |website=Vanity Fair}}</ref><ref name=WhatRusiaReallyWantsNationalReview20171031/>

The Blacktivist Facebook group organized a rally in Chicago to honor Sandra Bland on 16 July 2016, the first anniversary of her death. The rally was held in front of the Chicago Police Department's Homan Square facility. They passed around petitions calling for a Civilian Police Accountability Council ordinance.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dahn |first=Andy |date=16 July 2016 |title=Demonstrators Remember Sandra Bland, Demand Greater Police Accountability |url=http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2016/07/16/demonstrators-remember-sandra-bland-demand-greater-police-accountability/ |access-date=3 April 2018 |website=CBS Chicago}}</ref><ref>{{Cite tweet |number=913812188170682368 |user=josh_emerson |title=Google cache of "Rally in Memory of Sandra Bland" https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:Y_RWmh-kKuUJ:https://www.facebook.com/events/1751718638376338/+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us … |author=Josh Russell |date=29 September 2017 |access-date=3 April 2018}}</ref>

17 "Florida Goes Trump" rallies were held across Florida on 25 August 2016. The rallies were organized by IRA using their "Being Patriotic" Facebook group and "march_for_trump" Twitter account.<ref name="Russians17TrumpRalliesDailyBeast20170920">{{Cite news |last1=Collins |first1=Ben |last2=Resnick |first2=Gideon |last3=Poulsen |first3=Kevin |last4=Ackerman |first4=Spencer |date=20 September 2017 |title=Exclusive: Russians Appear to Use Facebook to Push Trump Rallies in 17 U.S. Cities |work=The Daily Beast |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/russians-appear-to-use-facebook-to-push-pro-trump-flash-mobs-in-florida |access-date=15 March 2018}}</ref>

The "SecuredBorders" Facebook group organized the "Citizens before refugees" protest rally on 27 August 2016, at the City Council Chambers in Twin Falls, Idaho. Only a small number of people showed up for the three-hour event, most likely because it was Saturday and the Chambers were closed. "SecureBorders" was an IRA account.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Poulsen |first1=Kevin |last2=Collins |first2=Ben |last3=Ackerman |first3=Spencer |date=12 September 2017 |title=Exclusive: Russia Used Facebook Events to Organize Anti-Immigrant Rallies on U.S. Soil |work=The Daily Beast |url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/exclusive-russia-used-facebook-events-to-organize-anti-immigrant-rallies-on-us-soil |access-date=2 April 2018}}</ref>

The "Safe Space for Muslim Neighborhood" rally was held outside the White House on 3 September 2016. At least 57 people attended the event organized by the IRA's "United Muslims of America" Facebook group.<ref name="RussiansImpersonatedMuslims20170927">{{Cite news |last1=Collins |first1=Ben |last2=Poulsen |first2=Kevin |last3=Ackerman |first3=Spencer |date=27 September 2017 |title=Exclusive: Russians Impersonated Real American Muslims to Stir Chaos on Facebook and Instagram |work=The Daily Beast |url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/exclusive-russians-impersonated-real-american-muslims-to-stir-chaos-on-facebook-and-instagram |access-date=28 September 2017}}</ref>

"BlackMattersUS", an IRA website, recruited activists to participate in protests on the days immediately following 20 September 2016, police shooting of Keith Lamont Scott in Charlotte, North Carolina. The IRA paid for expenses such as microphones and speakers.<ref name=AmericansTrickedByRussiaBuzzFeedNews20171017 />

The "Miners for Trump" rallies held in Pennsylvania on 2 October 2016, were organized by IRA's "Being Patriotic" Facebook group.<ref name="Russians17TrumpRalliesDailyBeast20170920" />

The IRA ran its most popular ad on Facebook on 19 October 2016. The ad was for the IRA's Back the Badge Facebook group and showed a badge with the words "Back the Badge" in front of police lights under the caption "Community of people who support our brave Police Officers."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ackerman |first=Spencer |date=10 May 2018 |title=Russians' Biggest Facebook Ad Promoted 'Blue Lives Matter' |work=The Daily Beast |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/russians-biggest-facebook-ad-promoted-blue-lives-matter |access-date=5 January 2019}}</ref>

A large rally was held in Charlotte, North Carolina, on 22 October 2016, protesting the police shooting of Keith Lamont Scott. BlackMattersUS recruited unwitting local activists to organize the rally.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Henderson |first1=Bruce |last2=Harrison |first2=Steve |date=19 October 2018 |title=Charlotte shooting protest had hidden help – a Russian troll farm, news site says |url=http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/article179562956.html |access-date=2 April 2018 |website=The Charlotte Observer}}</ref> BlackMattersUS provided one activist with a bank card to pay for rally expenses.<ref name=AmericansTrickedByRussiaBuzzFeedNews20171017/>

Anti-Hillary Clinton "Texit" rallies were held across Texas on 5 November 2016. The "Heart of Texas" Facebook group organized the rallies around the theme of Texas seceding from the United States if Hillary Clinton is elected. The group contacted the Texas Nationalist Movement, a secessionist organization, to help with organizing efforts, but they declined to help. Small rallies were held in Dallas, Fort Worth, {{wipe|Austin, Texas}}, and other cities. No one attended the Lubbock rally.<ref name="auto1">{{Cite web |last=Bertrand |first=Natasha |date=14 September 2017 |title=Texas secession movement: Russia-linked Facebook group asked us to participate in anti-Clinton rallies |url=http://www.businessinsider.com/russia-facebook-group-ads-texas-secession-secede-trump-clinton-2017-9 |access-date=2 April 2018 |website=Business Insider}}</ref><ref name="everythinglubbock.com">{{Cite web |date=5 November 2016 |title=Texit Rallies Kick Off Across the State Without Local Support |url=http://www.everythinglubbock.com/news/klbk-news/texit-rallies-kick-off-across-the-state-without-local-support/606499870 |access-date=2 April 2018 |website=everythinglubbock.com |type=video}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last1=Yates |first1=Will |last2=Wendling |first2=Mike |date=4 November 2017 |title='Russian trolls' promoted California independence |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-41853131 |access-date=2 April 2018 |website=BBC News}}</ref>

A Trump protest called "Trump is NOT my President" attracted 5,000 to 10,000 in Manhattan on 12 November 2016. Marched from Union Square to Trump Tower. The protest was organized by BlackMattersUS.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Breland |first=Ali |date=31 October 2017 |title=Thousands attended protest organized by Russians on Facebook |url=http://thehill.com/policy/technology/358025-thousands-attended-protest-organized-by-russians-on-facebook |access-date=25 March 2018 |website=The Hill}}</ref>

The IRA's "United Muslims of America" Facebook group organized the "Make peace, not war!" protest on 3 June 2017, outside Trump Tower in New York City. It is unclear whether anyone attended this protest or instead attended the "March for Truth" affiliated protest held on the same day.<ref name=RussiansImpersonatedMuslims20170927 /><ref name="auto">{{Cite web |title=Make peace, not war! |url=https://us.eventbu.com/new-york/make-peace-not-war/2992988 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180410001620/https://us.eventbu.com/new-york/make-peace-not-war/2992988 |archive-date=10 April 2018 |access-date=9 April 2018 |website=eventbu |via=[[Internet Archive]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last1=Stein |first1=Peter |last2=Aratani |first2=Lori |date=3 June 2017 |title=Crowds rally at March for Truth in Washington and dozens of cities |url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/politics/ct-march-for-truth-trump-protest-20170603-story.html |access-date=9 April 2018 |website=Chicago Tribune}}</ref>

== Lawsuit ==
In May 2015, a trolling company employee Lyudmila Savchuk in Saint Petersburg sued her employer for labor violations,<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=http://tsn.ua/video/video-novini/u-rosiyi-kolishnya-spivrobitnicya-podala-v-sud-na-fabriku-internet-troliv.html |date=29 May 2015 |language=uk |website=TSN|publisher=1+1 |trans-title=Former employee sues 'Internet Troll Factory' |place=Ukraine |access-date=12 June 2016 |script-title=uk:У Росії колишня співробітниця подала в суд на "фабрику інтернет-тролів" |medium=Television production }}</ref> seeking to disclose its activities. Ivan Pavlov from human rights defending initiative Team 29 represented Savchuk, and the defendant "troll-factory" agreed to pay Savchuk her withheld salaries and to restore her job.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Filipov |first=David |date=8 October 2017 |title=The notorious Kremlin-linked 'troll farm' and the Russians trying to take it down |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/the-notorious-kremlin-linked-troll-farm-and-the-russians-trying-to-take-it-down/2017/10/06/c8c4b160-a919-11e7-9a98-07140d2eed02_story.html?wpisrc=nl_daily202&wpmm=1}}</ref>

Savchuk later described extreme psychological pressure at the work place, with jokes circulating among employees that "one can remain sane in the factory for two months maximum", as result of constant switching between different personalities that the workers are expected to design and maintain during work time.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Tlis |first=Fatima |title=Disinfo News: Working in Russian Troll Factory Pushed Reporter to 'Edge of Insanity' |language=en |work=POLYGRAPH.info |url=https://www.polygraph.info/a/russian-troll-factory-exposed/29549344.html|access-date=19 October 2018}}</ref>

{{Blockquote|text=The realization that you can invent any fact, then watch it absolutely synchronized with the media outlets as one massive information outflow and spread worldwide – that absolutely breaks your psyche|sign=Lyudmila Savchuk|source=Polygraph, "Working in Russian Troll Factory Pushed Reporter to ‘Edge of Insanity'", 2018}}

== Indictments ==
[[File:Internet Research Agency Indictment Feb 2018 with text.pdf|thumb|Indictment for interfering in the 2016 U.S. elections]]
On 16 February 2018, 13 individuals were indicted by the Washington, D.C. grand jury for alleged illegal interference in the 2016 presidential elections, during which they strongly supported the candidacy of Donald Trump, according to special counsel Robert Mueller's office. IRA, Concord Management and Concord Catering were also indicted. It was alleged that IRA was controlled by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a wealthy associate of Russian President Vladimir Putin.<ref name="Guard">{{Cite news |last1=Swaine |first1=Jon |last2=Bennetts |first2=Marc |date=16 February 2018 |title=Thirteen Russians criminally charged with interfering in US election, Mueller announces |work={{wipe|The Guardian}} |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/feb/16/robert-mueller-russians-charged-election |access-date=16 February 2018}}</ref><ref name="indictment">{{Cite web |title=Indictment in Mueller investigation, February 2018 |url=https://www.justice.gov/file/1035477/download |access-date=31 July 2018}}</ref>

The indicted individuals are Dzheykhun Nasimi Ogly Aslanov, Anna Vladislavovna Bogacheva, Maria Anatolyevna Bovda, Robert Sergeyevich Bovda, Mikhail Leonidovich Burchik, Mikhail Ivanovich Bystrov, Irina Viktorovna Kaverzina, Aleksandra Yuryevna Krylova, Vadim Vladimirovich Podkopaev, Sergey Pavlovich Polozov, Yevgeny Viktorovich Prigozhin, Gleb Igorevitch Vasilchenko, and Vladimir Venkov.<ref name="indictment" /> All of the defendants are charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States, 3 are charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and [[Finance:Bank fraud|bank fraud]], and 5 defendants are charged with aggravated [[Identity theft|identity theft]]. None of the defendants are in custody.<ref>{{Cite web |date=16 February 2018 |title=Special counsel Mueller: Russians conducted 'information warfare' against US during election to help Donald Trump win |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2018/02/16/russians-indicted-in-special-counsel-robert-muellers-probe.html |access-date=31 July 2018 |publisher=CNBC}}</ref>{{efn|The American Department was headed by Jeykhun Aslanov, an Azerbaijani who, in October 2017, was 27. Maria Bovda was the previous head of the American Department.<ref>{{Cite news |date=17 October 2017 |title=Американское блюдо фабрики Пригожина |language=ru |trans-title=American dish factory Prigogine |work=Rospres |url=https://www.rospres.com/government/22451/ |access-date=19 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191220063053/https://www.rospres.com/government/22451/ |archive-date=20 December 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=26 February 2018 |title=Ольгинский тролль Агата Бурдонова вовремя предала Евгения Пригожина |language=ru |trans-title=The Olginsky troll Agatha Burdonova betrayed Evgeny Prigozhin in time |work=Rospres |url=https://www.rospres.com/specserv/23611 |access-date=19 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191220051408/https://www.rospres.com/specserv/23611/ |archive-date=20 December 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Котляр |first=Евгения (Kotlyar, Evgenia) |date=24 February 2018 |title=Бывший менеджер иностранного отдела "фабрики троллей" переехала жить в США: Бывший дежурный менеджер иностранного отдела "Агентства интернет-исследований" ("фабрика троллей") Агата Бурдонова переехала в США. Об этом она рассказала на своей странице во "ВКонтакте". |language=ru |trans-title=Former manager of the foreign department of the "troll factory" moved to the USA: Former duty manager of the foreign department of the Internet Research Agency ("troll factory") Agata Burdonova moved to the United States. She spoke about this on her page on VKontakte. |work=TV Rain |url=https://tvrain.ru/news/byvshij_menedzher_inostrannogo_otdela-458293/ |access-date=19 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191220054410/https://tvrain.ru/news/byvshij_menedzher_inostrannogo_otdela-458293/ |archive-date=20 December 2019}}</ref>}}

On 15 March, President Trump imposed financial sanctions under the ''Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act'' on the 13 Russian and organizations indicted by Mueller,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sheth |first=Sonam |date=15 March 2018 |title=Trump administration announces new sanctions on Russians charged in the Mueller investigation |url=http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-new-russia-sanctions-election-meddling-cyber-attacks-2018-3 |access-date=15 March 2018 |website=Business Insider}}</ref> preventing them from entering the United States to answer the charges should they wish to.

In October 2018 Russian accountant Elena Khusyaynova was charged with interferеnce in the 2016 and 2018 US elections. She is alleged to have been working with the IRA. She was said to have managed a $16&nbsp;million budget.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://cdn.cnn.com/cnn/2018/images/10/19/khusyaynova.complaint.pdf |title=Crimial Complaint against Elena Alekseevna Khusyaynova |work=Eastern District of Virginia |via=CNN |date=28 September 2018 |access-date=24 March 2022 |archive-date=25 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220325010344/http://cdn.cnn.com/cnn/2018/images/10/19/khusyaynova.complaint.pdf}}</ref>

==Timeline of the Internet Research Agency interference in United States elections ==

===2014===
* '''April''': The IRA creates a department called the "translator project". The department's focus is on interfering in the U.S. election.<ref name="TrollsTimelineWapo20180206">{{Cite news |last=Bump |first=Philip |date=16 February 2018 |title=Timeline: How Russian trolls allegedly tried to throw the 2016 election to Trump |newspaper={{wipe|The Washington Post}} |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/politics/wp/2018/02/16/timeline-how-russian-trolls-allegedly-tried-to-throw-the-2016-election-to-trump/ |access-date=25 March 2018}}</ref><ref name=13RussiansInictment />
* '''May''': The IRA begins its election interference campaign of "spread[ing] distrust towards the candidates and the political system in general."<ref name=TrollsTimelineWapo20180206 /><ref name=13RussiansInictment />
* '''4–26 June''': Aleksandra Krylova and Anna Bogacheva, two IRA employees, travel to the U.S. to collect intelligence. Maria Bovda, a third employee, is denied a visa.<ref name=TrollsTimelineWapo20180206 /> All three are indicted in February 2018 for their work on election interference.<ref name="13RussiansInictment">{{cite court|litigants=United States of America vs. Internet Research Agency LLC, et al |url=https://www.justice.gov/file/1035477/download|court=United States District Court for the District of Columbia|date=16 February 2018|access-date=25 March 2018|quote=Indictment}}</ref>
* '''11 September''': The IRA spreads a hoax they created about a fictitious chemical plant fire in Centerville, St. Mary Parish, Louisiana, purportedly started by [[Religion:Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant|ISIS]]. The hoax includes [[Company:Twitter|tweets]] and YouTube videos showing a chemical plant fire. Centerville is home to many chemical plants, but the plant named in the tweets does not exist. Initial tweets are sent directly to politicians, journalists, and Centerville residents.<ref name="TheAgencyNYT20150602">{{Cite news |last=Chen |first=Adrian |date=2 June 2015 |title=The Agency |language=en-US |work={{wipe|The New York Times}} |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/07/magazine/the-agency.html |access-date=6 September 2017 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
* '''21 September – 11 October''': The Material Evidence art exhibition is displayed at the Art Beam gallery in the Chelsea neighborhood of New York City. It portrays the conflicts in Syria and Ukraine in a pro-Russian light. It is promoted by Twitter accounts that also spread the 11 September chemical plant fire hoax.<ref name=TheAgencyNYT20150602 /> The exhibition is partly funded by the IRA.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cush |first=Andy |date=20 August 2015 |title=Emails Link Kremlin Troll Farm to Bizarre New York Photography Exhibit |url=http://gawker.com/emails-link-kremlin-troll-farm-to-bizarre-new-york-phot-1725347179 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180218091033/http://gawker.com/emails-link-kremlin-troll-farm-to-bizarre-new-york-phot-1725347179 |archive-date=18 February 2018 |access-date=10 April 2018 |website=Gawker |via=[[Internet Archive]]}}</ref>
* '''13 December''':
** The IRA uses Twitter to spread a hoax about an [[Medicine:Ebola|Ebola]] outbreak in Atlanta. Many of the Twitter accounts used in the 11 September chemical plant fire hoax also spread this hoax. The hoax includes a YouTube video of medical workers wearing hazmat suits.<ref name=TheAgencyNYT20150602 />
** Using a different set of Twitter accounts, the IRA spreads a hoax about a purported police shooting of an unarmed black woman in Atlanta. The hoax includes a blurry video of the purported event.<ref name=TheAgencyNYT20150602 />

===2015===
* '''July onward''': Thousands of fake Twitter accounts run by the IRA begin to praise Trump over his political opponents by a wide margin, according to a later analysis by ''The Wall Street Journal''.<ref name="wsj-20170611">{{Cite news |last1=Maremont |first1=Mark |last2=Barry |first2=Rob |date=6 November 2017 |title=Russian Twitter Support for Trump Began Right After He Started Campaign |work={{wipe|The Wall Street Journal}} |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/russian-twitter-support-for-trump-began-right-after-he-started-campaign-1509964380 |access-date=6 November 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Kwong |first=Jessica |date=6 November 2017 |title=Russia Was Helping Trump Just Days After He Entered the 2016 Primary |work=Newsweek |url=http://www.newsweek.com/russian-twitter-support-trump-started-earlier-once-thought-703400}}</ref>
* '''3 November''':The IRA Instagram account "Stand For Freedom" attempts to organize a confederate rally in Houston, Texas, on 14 November. It is unclear if anyone showed up. The Mueller Report identifies this as the IRA's first attempt to organize a U.S. rally.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jordan |first=Jay R. |date=19 April 2019 |title=Houston Confederate rally 'earliest evidence' of Russian interference, says Mueller report |url=https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Planned-Houston-rally-was-earliest-evidence-13780488.php |access-date=19 April 2019 |website=Houston Chronicle}}</ref><ref name="MUELLER-REPORT-VOL-I">{{Cite web |last=Mueller |first=Robert S. |date=March 2019 |title=Report On The Investigation Into Russian Interference In The 2016 Presidential Election |url=https://www.justice.gov/storage/report.pdf |access-date=19 April 2019 |website=Justice.gov}}</ref>{{rp|29}}
* '''19 November''': The IRA creates first Twitter account. Purporting to be the "Unofficial Twitter account of Tennessee Republicans," it peaks at over 100,000 followers.<ref name="CampaignRussianPropogandaDailyBeast20171018">{{Cite news |last1=Collins |first1=Ben |last2=Poulsen |first2=Kevin |last3=Ackerman |first3=Spencer |last4=Woodruff |first4=Betsy |date=18 October 2017 |title=Trump Campaign Staffers Pushed Russian Propaganda Days Before the Election |work=The Daily Beast |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-campaign-staffers-pushed-russian-propaganda-days-before-the-election |access-date=19 October 2017}}</ref>

===2016===
* '''10 February''': IRA instructs workers to "use any opportunity to criticize Hillary and the rest (except Sanders and Trump—we support them)."<ref name="SubvertTime">{{Cite web |last1=Yourish |first1=Karen |last2=Buchanan |first2=Larry |last3=Watkins |first3=Derek |date=20 September 2018 |title=A Timeline Showing the Full Scale of Russia's Unprecedented Interference in the 2016 Election, and Its Aftermath |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/09/20/us/politics/russia-trump-election-timeline.html |access-date=20 September 2018 |website={{wipe|The New York Times}}}}</ref>
* '''April''': The IRA starts buying online ads on social media and other sites. The ads support Trump and attack Clinton.<ref name="TrollsTimelineWapo20180206" /><ref name="13RussiansInictment" />
* '''4 April''': A rally is held in Buffalo, New York, protesting the death of India Cummings. Cummings was a black woman who had recently died in police custody. The IRA's "Blacktivist" account on Facebook actively promotes the event, reaching out directly to local activists on Facebook Messenger asking them to circulate petitions and print posters for the event. Blacktivist supplies the petitions and poster artwork.<ref name=LeakedIRADocumentsDailyBeast20180301/>
* '''16 April''': A rally protesting the death of Freddie Gray attracts large crowds in Baltimore. The IRA's Blacktivist Facebook group promotes and organizes the event, including reaching out to local activists.<ref name="Levin" />
* '''19 April''': The IRA purchases its first pro-Trump ad through its "Tea Party News" [[Software:Instagram|Instagram]] account. The Instagram ad asks users to upload photos with the hashtag #KIDS4TRU to "make a patriotic team of young Trump supporters."<ref name="HeresEverythingTheMuellerBuzzFeedNews-20190418">{{Cite web |last=Broderick |first=Ryan |date=18 April 2019 |title=Here's Everything The Mueller Report Says About How Russian Trolls Used Social Media |url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ryanhatesthis/mueller-report-internet-research-agency-detailed-2016 |access-date=19 April 2019 |website=BuzzFeed News}}</ref>
* '''23 April''': A small group of white-power demonstrators hold a rally they call "Rock Stone Mountain" at [[Earth:Stone Mountain|Stone Mountain]] Park near Stone Mountain, Georgia. They are confronted by a large group of protesters, and some violent clashes ensue. The counterprotest was heavily promoted by IRA accounts on Tumblr, Twitter, and Facebook, and the IRA website blackmatters.com. The IRA uses its Blacktivist account on Facebook to reach out, to no avail, to activist and academic Barbara Williams Emerson, the daughter of Hosea Williams, to help promote the protests. Afterward, RT blames anti-racist protesters for violence and promotes two videos shot at the event.<ref name=LeakedIRADocumentsDailyBeast20180301 />
* '''2 May''': A second rally is held in Buffalo, New York, protesting the death of India Cummings. Like the 4 April rally, the event is heavily promoted by the IRA's ''Blacktivist'' Facebook account, including attempted outreach to local activists.<ref name=LeakedIRADocumentsDailyBeast20180301 />
* '''21 May''': Two competing rallies are held in Houston to alternately protest against and defend the recently opened Library of Islamic Knowledge at the Islamic Da'wah Center. The "Stop Islamization of Texas" rally is organized by the Facebook group "Heart of Texas". The Facebook posting for the event encourages participants to bring guns. A spokesman for the group converses with the Houston Press via email but declines to give a name. The other rally, "Save Islamic Knowledge", is organized by the Facebook group "United Muslims of America" for the same time and location. Both Facebook groups are later revealed to be IRA accounts.<ref name="Malisow" /><ref name=FacebookPhonyEventsWapo20180125 />
* '''29 May''': The IRA hires an American to pose in front of the White House holding a sign that says, "Happy 55th Birthday, Dear Boss." "Boss" is a reference to Russian oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin.<ref name=TrollsTimelineWapo20180206 /><ref name=13RussiansInictment />
* '''1 June''': The IRA plans a Manhattan rally called "March for Trump" and buys Facebook ads promoting the event.<ref name=TrollsTimelineWapo20180206 /><ref name=13RussiansInictment />
* '''4 June''': The IRA email account sends news releases about the "March for Trump" rally to New York City media outlets.<ref name=TrollsTimelineWapo20180206 /><ref name=13RussiansInictment />
* '''5 June''': The IRA contacts a Trump campaign volunteer to provide signs for the "March for Trump" rally.<ref name=TrollsTimelineWapo20180206 /><ref name=13RussiansInictment />
* '''23 June''': The IRA persona "Matt Skiber" contacts an American to recruit for the "March for Trump" rally.<ref name=TrollsTimelineWapo20180206 /><ref name=13RussiansInictment />
* '''24 June''': The IRA group "United Muslims of America" buys Facebook ads for the "Support Hillary, Save American Muslims" rally.<ref name=TrollsTimelineWapo20180206 /><ref name=13RussiansInictment />
* '''25 June''':
** The IRA's "March for Trump" rally occurs.<ref name=TrollsTimelineWapo20180206 /><ref name=13RussiansInictment />
** The IRA Facebook group LGBT United organizes a candlelight vigil for the Pulse nightclub shooting victims in Orlando, Florida.<ref name=WhatRusiaReallyWantsNationalReview20171031 /><ref name=FacebookRussiaAdsNYT20171002/>
* '''July''': The IRA's translator project grows to over 80 employees.<ref name=TrollsTimelineWapo20180206 /><ref name=13RussiansInictment />
* '''Summer''': IRA employees use the stolen identities of four Americans to open [[Company:PayPal|PayPal]] and bank accounts to act as conduits for funding their activities in the United States.<ref name=TrollsTimelineWapo20180206 /><ref name=13RussiansInictment />
* '''5 July'': "United Muslims of America", an IRA group, orders posters with fake Clinton quotes promoting Sharia Law. The posters are ordered for the "Support Hillary, Save American Muslims" rally they are organizing.<ref name=TrollsTimelineWapo20180206 /><ref name=13RussiansInictment />
* '''6–10 July''': The IRA's "Don't Shoot" Facebook group and affiliated "Don't Shoot Us" website try to organize a protest outside the St. Paul, Minnesota, police headquarters on 10 July in response to the 6 July fatal police shooting of Philando Castile. Some local activists become suspicious of the event because St. Paul police were not involved in the shooting: Castile was shot by a St. Anthony police officer in nearby Falcon Heights. Local activists contact Don't Shoot. After being pressed on who they are and who supports them, Don't Shoot agrees to move the protest to the St. Anthony police headquarters. The concerned local activists investigate further and urge protesters not to participate after deciding Don't Shoot is a "total troll job." Don't Shoot organizers eventually relinquish control of the event to local organizers, who subsequently decline to accept any money from Don't Shoot.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Furst |first=Randy |date=1 November 2017 |title=Did Russian hackers organize Castile protest? Activists say no |work=St. Cloud Times |url=https://www.sctimes.com/story/news/local/minnesota/2017/11/01/did-russian-hackers-organize-castile-protest-activists-say-no/820782001/ |access-date=2 April 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last1=O'Sullivan |first1=Donie |last2=Byers |first2=Dylan |date=13 October 2017 |title=Exclusive: Even Pokémon Go used by extensive Russian-linked meddling effort |publisher=CNN |url=https://money.cnn.com/2017/10/12/media/dont-shoot-us-russia-pokemon-go/index.html |access-date=2 April 2018}}</ref>
* '''9 July''': The "Support Hillary, Save American Muslims" rally occurs in Washington, D.C. The rally is organized by the IRA group "United Muslims of America."<ref name=TrollsTimelineWapo20180206 /><ref name=13RussiansInictment />
* '''10 July''': A Black Lives Matter protest rally is held in Dallas. A "Blue Lives Matter" counterprotest is held across the street. The Blue Lives Matter protest is organized by the "Heart of Texas" Facebook group, controlled by the IRA.<ref name=RussiaOrganizeProtestsVanityFair20171020/><ref name="WhatRusiaReallyWantsNationalReview20171031">{{Cite news |last=Geraghty |first=Jim |date=31 October 2017 |title=What Russia Really Wants: A Divided, Paralyzed America |work=National Review |url=https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/what-russia-really-wants-divided-paralyzed-america/ |access-date=2 April 2018}}</ref><ref name=FacebookPhonyEventsWapo20180125 />
* '''12 July''': An IRA group buys ads on Facebook for the "Down with Hillary" rally in New York City.<ref name=TrollsTimelineWapo20180206 /><ref name=13RussiansInictment />
* '''16 July''': The IRA's Blacktivist group organizes a rally in Chicago to honor Sandra Bland on the first anniversary of her death. The rally is held in front of the Chicago Police Department's Homan Square building. Participants pass around petitions calling for a Civilian Police Accountability Council ordinance.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Dahn |first=Andy |date=16 July 2016 |title=Demonstrators Remember Sandra Bland, Demand Greater Police Accountability |publisher=CBS Chicago |url=http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2016/07/16/demonstrators-remember-sandra-bland-demand-greater-police-accountability/ |access-date=3 April 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite tweet |number=913812188170682368 |user=josh_emerson |title=Google cache of "Rally in Memory of Sandra Bland" https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:Y_RWmh-kKuUJ:https://www.facebook.com/events/1751718638376338/+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us … |date=29 September 2017 |access-date=3 April 2018 |first=Josh |last=Russell}}</ref>
* '''23 July''': The IRA-organized "Down with Hillary" rally is held in New York City. The agency sends 30 news releases to media outlets using email.<ref name=TrollsTimelineWapo20180206 /><ref name=13RussiansInictment />
* '''2–3 August''': The IRA's "Matt Skiber" persona contacts the real "Florida for Trump" Facebook account. The "T.W." persona contacts other grassroots groups.<ref name=TrollsTimelineWapo20180206 /><ref name=13RussiansInictment />
* '''4 August''':
** The IRA's Facebook account "Stop AI" accuses Clinton of voter fraud during the Iowa Caucuses. They buy ads promoting the post.<ref name=TrollsTimelineWapo20180206 /><ref name=13RussiansInictment />
** IRA groups buy ads for the "Florida Goes Trump" rallies. The 8,300 people who click on the ads are sent to the Agency's "Being Patriotic" Facebook page.<ref name=TrollsTimelineWapo20180206 /><ref name=13RussiansInictment />
* '''5 August''': The IRA Twitter second account hires an actress to play Hillary Clinton in prison garb and someone to build a cage to hold the actress. The actress and cage are to appear at the "Florida Goes Trump" rally in West Palm Beach, Florida on 20 August.<ref name=TrollsTimelineWapo20180206 /><ref name=13RussiansInictment />
* '''11 August''': The IRA Twitter first account claims that voter fraud is being investigated in North Carolina.<ref name=TrollsTimelineWapo20180206 /><ref name=13RussiansInictment />
* '''12–18 August''': The IRA's persona "Josh Milton" communicates with Trump Campaign officials via email to request Trump/Pence signs and the phone numbers of campaign affiliates as part of an effort to organize pro-Trump campaign rallies in Florida.<ref name="AllTheTimesTrumpBusinessInsider-20190418">{{Cite web |last=Panetta |first=Grace |date=18 April 2019 |title=All the times Trump campaign figures shared false information sponsored by Russia that were included in the Mueller report |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/mueller-report-russia-trump-campaign-shared-russia-false-info-2019-4 |access-date=22 April 2019 |website=Business Insider}}</ref>{{r|MUELLER-REPORT-VOL-I|p=35}}
* '''15 August''': A Trump campaign county chair contacts the IRA through their phony email accounts to suggest locations for rallies.<ref name=TrollsTimelineWapo20180206 /><ref name=13RussiansInictment />
* '''16 August''': The IRA buys ads on Instagram for the "Florida Goes Trump" rallies.<ref name=TrollsTimelineWapo20180206 /><ref name=13RussiansInictment />
* '''18 August''':
** The IRA uses its email account to contact a Trump campaign official in Florida. The email requests campaign support at the forthcoming "Florida Goes Trump" rallies. It is unknown whether the campaign official responded.<ref name=TrollsTimelineWapo20180206 /><ref name=13RussiansInictment />
** The IRA pays the person they hired to build a cage for a "Florida Goes Trump" rally in West Palm Beach, Florida.<ref name=TrollsTimelineWapo20180206 /><ref name=13RussiansInictment />
* '''19 August''':
** A Trump supporter suggests to the IRA Twitter account "March for Trump" that it contact a Trump campaign official. The official is emailed by the agency.<ref name=TrollsTimelineWapo20180206/>
** The IRA's "Matt Skiber" persona contacts another Trump campaign official on Facebook.<ref name=TrollsTimelineWapo20180206 /><ref name=13RussiansInictment />
* '''20 August''': 17 "Florida Goes Trump" rallies are held across Florida. The rallies are organized by Russian trolls from the IRA.<ref name=13RussiansInictment /><ref name=Russians17TrumpRalliesDailyBeast20170920/>
* '''27 August''': The IRA Facebook group "SecuredBorders" organizes a "Citizens before refugees" protest rally at the City Council Chambers in Twin Falls, Idaho. Only a small number of people show up for the three-hour event, most likely because it is Saturday and the Chambers are closed.<ref name="RussiaFacebookOrganizeDailyBeast20170912">{{Cite news |last1=Poulsen |first1=Kevin |last2=Collins |first2=Ben |last3=Ackerman |first3=Spencer |date=12 September 2017 |title=Exclusive: Russia Used Facebook Events to Organize Anti-Immigrant Rallies on U.S. Soil |work=The Daily Beast |url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/exclusive-russia-used-facebook-events-to-organize-anti-immigrant-rallies-on-us-soil |access-date=12 September 2017}}</ref>
* '''31 August''':
** An American contacts the IRA's "Being Patriotic" account about a possible 11 September event in Miami.<ref name=TrollsTimelineWapo20180206 /><ref name=13RussiansInictment />
** The IRA buys ads for a 11 September rally in New York City.<ref name=TrollsTimelineWapo20180206 /><ref name=13RussiansInictment />
* '''3 September''': The IRA Facebook group "United Muslims of America" organizes a "Safe Space for Muslim Neighborhood" rally outside the White House, attracting at least 57 people.<ref name=RussiansImpersonatedMuslims20170927/>
* '''9 September''': The IRA sends money to its American groups to fund the 11 September rally in Miami, and to pay the actress who portrayed Clinton at the West Palm Beach, Florida, rally.<ref name=TrollsTimelineWapo20180206 /><ref name=13RussiansInictment />
* '''20–26 September''': BlackMattersUS, an IRA website, recruits activists to participate in protests over the police shooting of Keith Lamont Scott in Charlotte, North Carolina. The IRA pays for expenses such as microphones and speakers.<ref name=AmericansTrickedByRussiaBuzzFeedNews20171017/>
* '''22 September''': The IRA buys ads on Facebook for "Miners for Trump" rallies in Pennsylvania.<ref name=TrollsTimelineWapo20180206 /><ref name=13RussiansInictment />
* '''2 October''': "Miners for Trump" rallies are held across Pennsylvania. The IRA uses the same techniques to organize the rallies as they used for the "Florida Goes Trump" rallies, including hiring a person to wear a Clinton mask and a prison uniform.<ref name=TrollsTimelineWapo20180206 /><ref name=13RussiansInictment />
* '''16 October''': The IRA's Instagram account "Woke Blacks" makes a post aimed at suppressing black voter turnout.<ref name=TrollsTimelineWapo20180206 /><ref name=13RussiansInictment />
* '''19 October''' The IRA runs its most popular ad on Facebook. The ad is for the IRA's Back the Badge Facebook group and shows a badge with the words "Back the Badge" in front of police lights under the caption "Community of people who support our brave Police Officers."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ackerman |date=10 May 2018 |title=Russians' Biggest Facebook Ad Promoted 'Blue Lives Matter' |work=The Daily Beast |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/russians-biggest-facebook-ad-promoted-blue-lives-matter |access-date=5 January 2019}}</ref>
* '''22 October''': A large rally is held in Charlotte, North Carolina, protesting the police shooting of Keith Lamont Scott. The IRA website BlackMattersUS recruits unwitting local activists to organize the rally.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Henderson |first1=Bruce |last2=Harrison |first2=Steve |date=19 October 2018 |title=Charlotte shooting protest had hidden help – a Russian troll farm, news site says |work=The Charlotte Observer |url=http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/article179562956.html |access-date=2 April 2018}}</ref> BlackMattersUS provides an activist with a bank card to pay for rally expenses.<ref name="AmericansTrickedByRussiaBuzzFeedNews20171017">{{Cite news |last1=Adams |first1=Rosalind |last2=Brown |first2=Hayes |date=17 October 2017 |title=These Americans Were Tricked Into Working For Russia. They Say They Had No Idea. |work=BuzzFeed News |url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/rosalindadams/these-americans-were-tricked-into-working-for-russia-they |access-date=2 April 2018}}</ref>
* '''2 November''': The IRA Twitter first account alleges "#VoterFraud by counting tens of thousands of ineligible mail in Hillary votes being reported in Broward County, Florida." Trump Jr. retweets it.<ref name=TrollsTimelineWapo20180206 /><ref name=13RussiansInictment />
* '''3 November''': The IRA Instagram account "Blacktivist" suggests people vote for Stein instead of Clinton.<ref name=TrollsTimelineWapo20180206 /><ref name=13RussiansInictment />
* '''5 November''': Anti-Clinton "Texit" rallies are held across Texas. The IRA's "Heart of Texas" Facebook group organizes the rallies around the theme of Texas seceding from the United States if Clinton is elected. The group contacts the Texas Nationalist Movement, a secessionist organization, to help with organizing efforts, but they decline to help. Small rallies are held in Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin, and other cities. No one attends the Lubbock rally.<ref name="auto1"/><ref name="everythinglubbock.com" /><ref name="CaliforniaIndependenceBBC20171104">{{Cite news |last1=Yates |first1=Will |last2=Wendling |first2=Mike |date=4 November 2017 |title='Russian trolls' promoted California independence |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-41853131 |access-date=2 April 2018}}</ref>
* '''8 November''': Hours after the polls close, the [[Hashtag|hashtag]] #Calexit is retweeted by thousands of IRA accounts.<ref name="CaliforniaIndependenceBBC20171104" />
* '''11 November''': A large banner is hung from the Arlington Memorial Bridge in Washington, D.C., showing a photo of Obama with the words "Goodbye Murderer" at the bottom. The IRA Twitter third account takes credit and is an early promoter of the banner.<ref name="Subvert">{{Cite web |last1=Scott Shane |last2=Mark Mazzetti |author-link2=Mark Mazzetti |date=20 September 2018 |title=The Plot to Subvert an Election |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/09/20/us/politics/russia-interference-election-trump-clinton.html |access-date=20 September 2018 |website={{wipe|The New York Times}}}}</ref><ref>{{Cite tweet |number=796772863869075460 |user=LeroyLovesUSA |title=We hung out a huge banner right on the Arlington Memorial Bridge. Goodbye to murderer |author=Leroy Barton |date=11 November 2016 |access-date=27 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161112145800/https://twitter.com/LeroyLovesUSA/status/796772863869075460 |archive-date=12 November 2016}}</ref>
* '''12 November''': A Trump protest called "Trump is NOT my President" attracts 5,000–10,000 protestors in Manhattan who march from Union Square to Trump Tower. The protest is organized by the IRA using their BlackMattersUS Facebook account.<ref name=TrollsTimelineWapo20180206 /><ref name=13RussiansInictment />
* '''19 November''': The IRA organizes the "Charlotte Against Trump" rally in Charlotte, North Carolina.<ref name=TrollsTimelineWapo20180206 /><ref name=13RussiansInictment />
* '''8 December''': The IRA runs an ad on [[Company:Craigslist|Craigslist]] to hire someone to walk around New York City dressed as Santa Claus while wearing a Trump mask.<ref name="HeresEverythingTheMuellerBuzzFeedNews-20190418" />{{r|MUELLER-REPORT-VOL-I|p=32}}

===2017===
* '''9 April''': The Internet Research Agency (IRA)'s "United Muslims of America" Facebook group posts a meme complaining about the cost of the 6 April missile strike on [[Place:Syria|Syria]] by the United States. The strike had been made in retaliation for a chemical weapons attack by the Syrian government. The meme asserts the $93&nbsp;million cost of the strike "could have founded [sic] Meals on Wheels until 2029."<ref name=RussiansImpersonatedMuslims20170927 />
* '''3 June''': The IRA's "United Muslims of America" Facebook group organizes the "Make peace, not war!" protest outside Trump Tower in New York City. It is unclear whether anyone attends this protest or instead attends the "March for Truth" affiliated protest held on the same day.<ref name=RussiansImpersonatedMuslims20170927 /><ref name="auto"/><ref>{{Cite news |last1=Stein |first1=Peter |last2=Aratani |first2=Lori |date=3 June 2017 |title=Crowds rally at March for Truth in Washington and dozens of cities |work=Chicago Tribune |url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/politics/ct-march-for-truth-trump-protest-20170603-story.html |access-date=9 April 2018}}</ref>
** Thousands of people participate in the "Protest Trump and ideology of hate at Trump Tower!" protest outside Trump Tower in New York City. The protest was organized by the "Resisters" group on Facebook, one of the "bad actor" groups identified by Facebook in July 2018 as possibly belonging to the IRA.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Fractenberg |first1=Ben |last2=Hobbs |first2=Allegra |last3=Fisher |first3=Janon |date=15 August 2017 |title=President's Return to NYC |url=https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20170814/midtown/trump-tower-donald-trump-protests |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180803044442/https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20170814/midtown/trump-tower-donald-trump-protests/ |archive-date=3 August 2018 |access-date=2 August 2018 |website=DNAInfo}}</ref><ref name=ShadowyFacebbokAccountTheHill20180801 />
* '''23 August''': The Internet Research Agency's first Twitter account is closed.<ref name=CampaignRussianPropogandaDailyBeast20171018 />
* '''6 September''': Facebook admits selling advertisements to Russian companies seeking to reach U.S. voters.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Leonnig |first1=Carol D. |last2=Hamburger |first2=Tom |last3=Helderman |first3=Rosalind S. |date=6 September 2017 |title=Russian firm tied to pro-Kremlin propaganda advertised on Facebook during election |language=en-US |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/facebook-says-it-sold-political-ads-to-russian-company-during-2016-election/2017/09/06/32f01fd2-931e-11e7-89fa-bb822a46da5b_story.html |access-date=6 December 2017 |issn=0190-8286}}</ref> Hundreds of accounts were reportedly tied to the Internet Research Agency.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Goel |first1=Vindu |last2=Shane |first2=Scott |date=6 September 2017 |title=Fake Russian Facebook Accounts Bought $100,000 in Political Ads |language=en-US |work={{wipe|The New York Times}} |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/06/technology/facebook-russian-political-ads.html |access-date=6 September 2017 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name=TheAgencyNYT20150602/> Facebook pledges full cooperation with Mueller's investigation, and begins to provide details on purchases from Russia, including identities of the people involved.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Castillo |first=Michelle |date=6 September 2017 |title=Facebook gave special counsel Robert Mueller data on Russian ads, report says |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2017/09/06/facebook-gave-special-counsel-robert-mueller-data-on-russian-ads-report-says.html |access-date=7 September 2017}}</ref>
* '''9 September''': Thousand of people participate in the "We Stand with DREAMers! Support DACA!" rally in New York City.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Narizhnaya |first=Khristina |date=9 September 2017 |title=Thousands gather in Midtown to protest Trump's DACA decision |url=https://nypost.com/2017/09/09/thousands-gather-in-midtown-to-protest-trumps-daca-decision/ |access-date=1 August 2018 |website=New York Post}}</ref> The rally was organized by the "Resisters" group on Facebook, one of the "bad actor" groups identified by Facebook in July 2018 as possibly belonging to the IRA.<ref name="ShadowyFacebbokAccountTheHill20180801">{{Cite web |last=Breland |first=Ali |date=1 August 2018 |title=Shadowy Facebook account led to real-life Trump protests |url=http://thehill.com/policy/technology/400010-shadowy-facebook-activities-led-to-real-life-trump-protests |access-date=1 August 2018 |website=The Hill}}</ref>
* '''9 September''': Trump responds to a tweet, containing "we love you Mr. President." from IRA fourth [[Company:Twitter|Twitter]] account - a "backup" of now-closed IRA first one - saying, "THANK YOU for your support Miami! My team just shared photos from your TRUMP SIGN WAVING DAY, yesterday! I love you- and there is no question – TOGETHER, WE WILL MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!".<ref name="AllTheTimesTrumpBusinessInsider-20190418" /><ref name="MUELLER-REPORT-VOL-I" />{{rp|34}}
* '''28 September''':
** Twitter announces that it identified 201 non-bot accounts tied to the IRA.<ref name="TwitterHasTurnedOverDailyBeast20171120">{{Cite news |last1=Ackerman |first1=Spencer |last2=Collins |first2=Ben |last3=Woodruff |first3=Betsy |date=20 November 2017 |title=Twitter Has Turned Over Zero New Russian Troll Accounts to Congress |work=The Daily Beast |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/twitter-has-turned-over-zero-new-russian-troll-accounts-to-congress |access-date=30 December 2018}}</ref>
** Democrats rebuke Twitter for its "frankly inadequate" response to Russian meddling.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Gambino |first=Lauren |date=28 September 2017 |title=Democrats rebuke Twitter for 'frankly inadequate' response to Russian meddling |work={{wipe|The Guardian}} |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/sep/28/twitter-congress-russian-election-interference |access-date=29 September 2017}}</ref>
** ''Mother Jones'' writes that "fake news on Twitter flooded swing states that helped Trump win."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Clifton |first=Denise |date=28 September 2017 |title=Fake news on Twitter—including from Russia—flooded swing states that helped Trump win |language=en-US |work=Mother Jones |url=https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2017/09/fake-news-including-from-russian-sources-saturated-battleground-states-trump-barely-won/ |access-date=29 September 2017 |quote=Millions of tweets were flying furiously in the final days leading up to the 2016 US presidential election.}}</ref>
* '''23 October''': ''The Daily Beast'' reports that Greenfloid LLC, a tiny web hosting company registered to Sergey Kashyrin and two others, hosted IRA propaganda websites DoNotShoot.Us, BlackMattersUS.com and others on servers in a Staten Island neighborhood. Greenfloid is listed as the North American subsidiary of ITL, a hosting company based in Kharkiv, Ukraine, registered to Dmitry Deineka. Deineka gave conflicting answers when questioned by ''The Daily Beast'' about the IRA websites.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Zavadski |first1=Katie |last2=Ackerman |first2=Spencer |last3=Collins |first3=Ben |last4=Poulsen |first4=Kevin |author-link4=Kevin Poulsen |date=23 October 2017 |title=Exclusive: Russian Propaganda Traced Back to Staten Island, New York |work=The Daily Beast |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/russian-propaganda-hosted-by-man-on-staten-island-new-york |access-date=7 January 2019}}</ref>
* '''1 November''': Twitter tells the Senate Intelligence Committee that it has found 2,752 IRA accounts and 36,746 Russia-linked bot accounts involved in election-related [[Company:Twitter#Format|retweets]].<ref name=TwitterHasTurnedOverDailyBeast20171120 />

===2018===
* '''16 February''': Mueller indicts 13 Russian citizens, IRA/Glavset and two other Russian entities in a 37-page indictment returned by a federal grand jury in the District of Columbia.<ref name=13RussiansInictment/>
* A '''15 July''' Business Insider article revealed a new Russian intelligence-linked "news" site, USAReally,<ref>Roose, Kevin, "[https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/25/technology/usareally-russian-news-site-propaganda.html?nl=top-stories&nlid=68634180ries&ref=cta Is a New Russian Meddling Tactic Hiding in Plain Sight?]", ''The New York Times'', 25 September 2018</ref> which follows in the footsteps of previous Russian IRA-backed troll farms, and appears to be an attempt to "test the waters" ahead of the mid-terms.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Davlashyan |first1=Naira |last2=Charlton |first2=Angela |date=15 July 2018 |title=Russian bots, trolls test waters ahead of US midterms |work=Business Insider |agency=Associated Press |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/ap-russian-bots-trolls-test-waters-ahead-of-us-midterms-2018-7 |access-date=13 August 2018 |archive-date=9 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210209193739/https://www.businessinsider.com/ap-russian-bots-trolls-test-waters-ahead-of-us-midterms-2018-7 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
*'''31 July''': Facebook announces they have shut down eight pages, 17 profiles, and seven Instagram accounts related to "bad actors" identified recently with activity profiles similar to the IRA. The company says it doesn't have enough information to attribute the accounts, groups, and events to the IRA, but that a known IRA account was briefly an administrator of the "Resisters" group.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Gleicher |first1=Nathaniel |last2=Stamos |first2=Alex |date=31 July 2018 |title=Removing Bad Actors on Facebook |url=https://newsroom.fb.com/news/2018/07/removing-bad-actors-on-facebook/ |access-date=31 July 2018 |via=Facebook |author-link2=Alex Stamos}}</ref> The "Resisters" group was the first organizer on Facebook of the upcoming "No Unite The Right 2 – DC" protest scheduled in Washington, D.C., for 10 August. Some of the event's other organizers insist they started organizing before "Resisters" created the event's Facebook page.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Fandos |first1=Nicholas |last2=Roose |first2=Kevin |author-link2=Kevin Roose |last3=Savage |first3=Charlie |author-link3=Charlie Savage (author) |last4=Frenkel |first4=Sheera |date=31 July 2018 |title=Facebook Identifies an Active Political Influence Campaign Using Fake Accounts |work={{wipe|The New York Times}} |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/31/us/politics/facebook-political-campaign-midterms.html |access-date=31 July 2018}}</ref>
* '''25 September''': ''The New York Times'' reports that the Moscow-based news website "USAReally.com" appears to be a continuation of the IRA's fake news propaganda efforts targeting Americans. The site, launched in May, has been banned from Facebook, Twitter, and [[Company:Reddit|Reddit]]. A new Facebook page created by the site is being monitored by Facebook.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Roose |first=Kevin |date=25 September 2018 |title=Is a New Russian Meddling Tactic Hiding in Plain Sight? |work={{wipe|The New York Times}} |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/25/technology/usareally-russian-news-site-propaganda.html |access-date=25 September 2018}}</ref>
* '''12 September''': ''The Wall Street Journal'' reports that nearly 600 IRA Twitter accounts posted nearly 10,000 mostly conservative-targeted messages about health policy and [[Social:Obamacare|Obamacare]] from 2014 through May 2018. Pro-ObamaCare messages peaked around the spring of 2016 when Senator Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton were fighting for the Democratic Party presidential nomination. Anti-Obamacare messages peaked during the debates leading up to the attempted repeal of the [[Finance:Affordable Care Act|Affordable Care Act]] in the spring of 2017.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Weixel |first=Nathaniel |date=12 September 2018 |title=Nearly 600 Russian troll accounts tweeted about ObamaCare: report |url=https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/406309-nearly-600-russian-troll-accounts-tweeted-about-obamacare-report |access-date=19 September 2018 |website=The Hill}}</ref>
*On '''19 October''', The US Justice Department charges 44-year-old Russian accountant Elena Alekseevna Khusyaynova of Saint Petersburg with conspiracy to defraud the United States by managing the finances of the social media troll operation, including the IRA, that attempted to interfere with the 2016 and 2018 US elections.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sonam Sheth |date=19 October 2018 |title=The DOJ has charged a Russian woman working for a close Putin ally with conspiring to interfere in the 2018 midterms |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/elena-khusyaynova-charged-midterm-elections-russia-2018-10 |access-date=21 October 2018 |work=Business Insider}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Katelyn Polantz |date=19 October 2018 |title=Russian national charged with attempting to interfere in 2018 midterms |publisher=CNN |url=https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/19/politics/elena-alekseevna-khusyaynova-russia-charged/index.html |access-date=21 October 2018}}</ref>
* '''20 November''': The Federal Agency of News (FAN) sues Facebook in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California for violating its free speech rights by closing its account in April. The FAN is a sister organization to the IRA that operates from the same building in St. Petersburg. The FAN claims in its filing that it has no knowledge of the IRA, even though some current FAN employees were indicted by Mueller for their work with the IRA.<ref name="RussianTrollsSueFacebookDailyBeast20181120">{{Cite news |last1=Ackerman |first1=Spencer |last2=Poulsen |first2=Kevin |author-link2=Kevin Poulsen |date=20 November 2018 |title=Russian Trolls Sue Facebook, Their Old Propaganda Machine |work=The Daily Beast |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/russian-trolls-sue-facebook-their-old-propaganda-machine |access-date=4 January 2019}}</ref>

===2019===
* '''2 February''': Twitter removed accounts suspected of being connected to the Russian Internet Research Agency that had disseminated a high volume of tweets related to [[Social:QAnon|QAnon]] that also used the #WWG1WGA slogan.<ref name="russian troll">{{Cite news |last1=Collins |first1=Ben |last2=Murphy |first2=Joe |date=2 February 2019 |title=Russian troll accounts purged by Twitter pushed Qanon and other conspiracy theories |publisher=NBC News |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/social-media/russian-troll-accounts-purged-twitter-pushed-qanon-other-conspiracy-theories-n966091}}</ref>
* '''12 April''': The ''Washington Post'' reports that researchers at [[Organization:Clemson University|Clemson University]] found the IRA sent thousands of tweets during the 2016 election campaign in an attempt to drive Bernie Sanders supporters away from Hillary Clinton and towards Donald Trump.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kranish |first=Michael |date=12 April 2019 |title=Inside the Russian effort to target Sanders supporters — and help elect Trump |newspaper={{wipe|The Washington Post}} |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/inside-the-russian-effort-to-target-sanders-supporters--and-help-elect-trump/2019/04/11/741d7308-5576-11e9-8ef3-fbd41a2ce4d5_story.html |access-date=12 April 2019}}</ref>

===2020===
* '''12 March''': CNN's Clarissa Ward reveals that Russia and the IRA have been running "troll factories" based in Nigeria and Ghana, with the aim to disrupt the 2020 U.S. presidential campaign.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ward |first=Clarissa |date=12 March 2020 |title=Russian election meddling is back – via Ghana and Nigeria – and in your feeds |publisher=CNN |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2020/03/12/world/russia-ghana-troll-farms-2020-ward/index.html |access-date=13 March 2020}}</ref>

== Notes ==
{{Notelist}}

== See also ==
{{Div col}}
* [[Social:50 Cent Party|50 Cent Party]]
* [[Social:Active measures|Active measures]]
* [[Social:AK Trolls|AK Trolls]]
* [[Social:Astroturfing|Astroturfing]]
* [[Organization:CyberBerkut|CyberBerkut]]
* [[Fake news website]]
* [[Social:Internet manipulation|Internet manipulation]]
* [[Social:Internet Water Army|Internet Water Army]]
* [[Team Jorge]]
* [[Social:Operation Earnest Voice|Operation Earnest Voice]]
* [[Public opinion brigades]]
* Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections
* Vulkan files leak
* Web brigades
{{div col end}}

== References ==
{{Reflist|refs=

<ref name="F273">By early 2018, Facebook suspended 70 accounts linked to the Internet Research Agency: {{Cite web |last=Adi Robertson|date=3 April 2018 |title=Facebook suspends 273 accounts and pages linked to Russian misinformation agency |url=https://www.theverge.com/2018/4/3/17194518/facebook-suspends-russian-internet-research-agency-pages-accounts-instagram |access-date=30 August 2018 |website=The Verge}}</ref>

<ref name="NWPL140304">{{Cite news |last1=Wachnicki |first1=Michał |last2=Olwert |first2=Paweł |date=4 March 2014 |title=Wynajęci Rosjanie cyber-bombardują polski internet? |language=pl |trans-title=Hired Russians cyber-bombarding the Polish internet? |work=Newsweek (Polish version) |url=http://swiat.newsweek.pl/wynajeci-rosjanie-cyber-bombarduja-polski-internet-newsweek-cyberatak,artykuly,281538,1.html |url-status=dead |access-date=12 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307065456/http://swiat.newsweek.pl/wynajeci-rosjanie-cyber-bombarduja-polski-internet-newsweek-cyberatak,artykuly,281538,1.html |archive-date=7 March 2016}}</ref>

<ref name="JT150429">{{Cite journal |last=Czekaj |first=Matthew |date=29 April 2015 |title=Russia's Hybrid War Against Poland |url=http://www.jamestown.org/single/?tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=43851&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=7&cHash=513dea6e2da23e276d6cc8d3f1d08451 |journal=Eurasia Daily Monitor |publisher=The Jamestown Foundation |volume=12 |issue=80 |access-date=12 June 2016}}</ref>
<ref name="JT150429-2">{{Cite web |date=March 2015 |title=Raport o stanie bezpieczeństwa cyberprzestrzeni RP w roku 2014 |trans-title=Report on the state of Poland's internet security in 2014 |url=http://www.cert.gov.pl/download/3/172/RaportostaniebezpieczenstwacyberprzestrzeniRPw2014roku.pdf |access-date=12 June 2016 |publisher=Rządowy Zespół Reagowania na Incydenty Komputerowe CERT.GOV.PL |language=pl |archive-date=20 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191220060139/https://jamestown.org/program/russias-hybrid-war-against-poland/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

<ref name="Spiegel140530">{{Cite web |last1=Gathmann |first1=Moritz |last2=Neef |first2=Christian |last3=Schepp |first3=Matthias |last4=Stark |first4=Holger |date=30 May 2014 |title=The Opinion-Makers: How Russia Is Winning the Propaganda War |url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/russia-uses-state-television-to-sway-opinion-at-home-and-abroad-a-971971.html |access-date=12 June 2016 |website=Der Spiegel}}</ref>

<ref name="SDZ140613">{{Cite news |last=Hans |first=Julian |date=13 June 2014 |title=Putins Trolle |language=de |trans-title=Putin's trolls |work=Süddeutsche Zeitung |url=http://www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/propaganda-aus-russland-putins-trolle-1.1997470 |access-date=12 June 2016}}</ref> English reprint: [http://www.stopfake.org/en/putin-s-trolls/ Putin's Trolls] (Stop Fake).

<ref name="NZZ140629">{{Cite news |last=Bracher |first=Katharina |date=29 June 2014 |title=Prorussische Propaganda aus der Schweiz: Twittern für den Kreml |language=de |trans-title=Pro-Russian propaganda from Switzerland: Twittering for the Kremlin |work=Neue Zürcher Zeitung |url=http://www.nzz.ch/schweiz/twittern-fuer-den-kreml-1.18332928 |access-date=12 June 2016}}</ref>

<ref name="Reut141125">{{Cite news |last1=Barkin |first1=Noah |last2=Rinke |first2=Andreas |date=25 November 2014 |title=Merkel hits diplomatic dead-end with Putin |work={{wipe|Reuters}} |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ukraine-crisis-germany-insight-idUSKCN0J91EN20141125 |access-date=12 June 2016 |quote=German media have been complaining for months about their news sites being bombarded with pro-Russian comments. German security sources say they are part of an organized offensive steered from the Kremlin.}}</ref>

<ref name="AP161228">{{Cite news |last=Dapkus |first=Liudas |date=28 December 2016 |title=Lithuanian 'elves' battle with pro-Russian trolls on social media |work=Toronto Star |agency=Associated Press |url=https://www.thestar.com/news/world/2016/12/28/lithuanian-elves-battle-with-pro-russian-trolls-on-social-media.html}}</ref>

}}

== Further reading ==
* {{Cite journal |last=Olga Khazan |date=9 October 2013 |title=Russia's Online-Comment Propaganda Army |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2013/10/russias-online-comment-propaganda-army/280432/ |journal=The Atlantic}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Chen |first=Adrian |date=2 June 2015 |title=The Agency |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/07/magazine/the-agency.html |journal=The New York Times Magazine}}
* {{Cite news |last=Doctrow |first=Cory |date=2 June 2015 |title=Russia's troll factory |publisher=Boing Boing |url=http://boingboing.net/2015/06/02/russias-troll-factory.html}}
* {{Cite news |last=Karoun Demirjian |date=4 June 2015 |title=A whistleblower is trying to bring down Russia's secret Internet troll army |newspaper={{wipe|The Washington Post}} |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2015/06/04/a-whistleblower-is-trying-to-bring-down-russias-secret-internet-troll-army/}}
* {{Cite AV media |url=http://www.cbc.ca/radio/q/schedule-for-wednesday-june-10-2015-1.3107352/trolls-for-hire-why-are-russians-being-paid-to-wreak-havoc-online-1.3107356 |title=Trolls for hire: Why are Russians being paid to wreak havoc online? |date=10 June 2015 |type=radio show podcast |work=Q|publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation }}
* {{Cite news |last=Dickerson |first=Caitlin |date=26 September 2017 |title=How Fake News Turned a Small Town Upside Down |work=The New York Times Magazine |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/26/magazine/how-fake-news-turned-a-small-town-upside-down.html}}
* {{cite news |last1=Entous |first1=Adam |last2=Nakashima |first2=Ellen |last3=Jaffe |first3=Greg |date=26 December 2017 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/kremlin-trolls-burned-across-the-internet-as-washington-debated-options/2017/12/23/e7b9dc92-e403-11e7-ab50-621fe0588340_story.html?hpid=hp_hp-top-table-main_infowars-250pm-1-duplicate%3Ahomepage%2Fsto |title=Kremlin trolls burned across the Internet as Washington debated options |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=24 April 2021}}
* {{Cite web |last=Boucher, Tim. |date=24 November 2017 |title=Internet Research Agency |url=http://www.timboucher.ca/tag/internet-research-agency/ |access-date=8 August 2018 |website=timboucher.ca }}
* {{Cite web |last1=Howard |first1=Philip N. |last2=Ganesh |first2=Bharath |last3=Liotsiou |first3=Dimitra |last4=Kelly |first4=John |last5=François |first5=Camille |date=17 December 2018 |title=The IRA, Social Media and Political Polarization in the United States, 2012–2018 |url=https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_IRA,_Social_Media_and_Political_Polarization_in_the_United_States,_2012-2018.pdf |publisher=Computational Propaganda Research Project |via=[[Wikimedia Commons]]}}
* {{Cite web |last1=DiResta |first1=Renee |last2=Shaffer |first2=Kris |last3=Ruppel |first3=Becky |last4=Sullivan |first4=David |last5=Matney |first5=Robert |last6=Fox |first6=Ryan |last7=Albright |first7=Jonathan |last8=Johnson |first8=Ben |date=17 December 2018 |title=The Tactics & Tropes of the Internet Research Agency |url=https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Tactics_%26_Tropes_of_the_Internet_Research_Agency.pdf |publisher=New Knowledge |via=[[Wikimedia Commons]]}}
* {{Cite magazine |last1=Linvill |first1=Darren |last2=Warren |first2=Patrick |date=25 November 2019 |title=That Uplifting Tweet You Just Shared? A Russian Troll Sent It |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/russia-troll-2020-election-interference-twitter-916482/ |magazine=Rolling Stone}}
* {{Cite news |last=Alba |first=Davey |date=29 March 2020 |title=How Russia's Troll Farm Is Changing Tactics Before the Fall Election |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/29/technology/russia-troll-farm-election.html |quote=The Kremlin-backed Internet Research Agency, which interfered in the 2016 election, is using different methods to hide itself better.}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Bail |first1=Christopher A. |last2=Guay |first2=Brian |last3=Maloney |first3=Emily |last4=Combs |first4=Aidan |last5=Hillygus |first5=D. Sunshine |last6=Merhout |first6=Friedolin |last7=Freelon |first7=Deen |last8=Volfovsky |first8=Alexander |title=Assessing the Russian Internet Research Agency's impact on the political attitudes and behaviors of American Twitter users in late 2017 |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |date=7 January 2020 |volume=117 |issue=1 |pages=243–250 |doi=10.1073/pnas.1906420116 |pmid=31767743 |pmc=6955293 |bibcode=2020PNAS..117..243B |s2cid=208298030 |language=en |issn=0027-8424|doi-access=free }}
* {{cite journal |last1=Dawson |first1=Andrew |last2=Innes |first2=Martin |title=How Russia's Internet Research Agency Built its Disinformation Campaign |journal=The Political Quarterly |year=2019 |volume=90 |issue=2 |pages=245–256 |doi=10.1111/1467-923X.12690 |s2cid=165035949 |url=https://orca.cf.ac.uk/122489/1/Political%20Quarterly%20IRA%20Dawson%20%26%20Innes.pdf |access-date=24 April 2021 |language=en |issn=1467-923X}}

== External links ==
* {{Cite news |last=Iuliia Subbotovska |date=29 May 2015 |title=Russia Steps up Propaganda Push with Online 'Kremlin Trolls' |language=en |publisher=NBC News |agency=Associated Press |url=http://www.nbcnews.com/tech/internet/russia-steps-propaganda-push-online-kremlin-trolls-n366606 |access-date=12 June 2016}}
* {{Cite web |year=2014 |script-title=ru:Все о троллях. Тролли – кто они? |trans-title=All the trolls. Trolls – Who are they? |url=http://www.trolli.org/content/map.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160201053709/http://www.trolli.org/content/map.html |archive-date=1 February 2016 |access-date=12 June 2016 |language=ru}}
* {{Cite news |date=31 May 2014 |script-title=ru:В Сети действительно работает банда кремлевских троллей. Имена, адреса, документы |trans-title=In web forums work the Kremlin's gang of trolls. Names, addresses, documents |url=http://uainfo.org/blognews/332255-v-seti-deystvitelno-rabotaet-banda-kremlevskih-trolley-imena-adresa-dokumenty.html |access-date=12 June 2016 |website=UAINFO |language=ru |via=[[Company:Reddit|reddit]]}}


[[Category:Internet manipulation and propaganda]]
[[Category:Internet governance]]
[[Category:Internet trolling]]

{{Sourceattribution|Internet Research Agency}}