Pro-Russia info warfare waged from old arms factory: Research
INFORMATION warfare is being waged from an old arms factory in St Petersburg where trolls are targeting Boris Johnson and spreading support for Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, research suggests.
The new study details how the Russian president’s regime is trying to manipulate public opinion on social media as well as in the comments sections of major media outlets.
Online operatives were found to be ordering followers to target Western media outlets and politicians, according to the research funded by the
British government, which plans to share it with major platforms. These include the social media accounts of the UK prime minister, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.
Social media accounts of bands and musicians including Daft Punk, David Guetta, Tiesto and Rammstein also appear to have been targeted by the disinformation operation.
Activities on Twitter and
Facebook were detected, but were found to be particularly concentrated on Instagram, YouTube and TikTok where research is constrained.
The research said TikTok influencers are being paid to amplify pro-Kremlin narratives. Another innovation was said to be operatives amplifying genuine messages by legitimate social media users that happen to be consistent with the Kremlin’s viewpoint.
The technique seems designed to evade social media platforms’ measures to combat disinformation.
A key role in the network is said to be performed by a Telegram channel called “Cyber Front
,” with the letter signifying Russian support for the war.
Its headquarters is allegedly located in rented space in St Petersburg’s Arsenal Machine-building Factory, a company that manufactures military equipment and technology.
Researchers say the group seems to have learned from the tactics used by QAnon conspiracy theorists and from the Islamic State terror group.