Leaked Files from Putin's Troll Factory: How Russia Manipulated European Elections - VSquare.org
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Leaked Files from Putin’s Troll Factory: How Russia Manipulated European Elections
Martin Laine (Delfi Estonia),<br>Anastasiia Morozova (VSquare, FRONTSTORY.PL)
2024-09-16
Investigations
Our Investigations
Martin Laine (Delfi Estonia),<br>Anastasiia Morozova (VSquare, FRONTSTORY.PL)
2024-09-16
Investigations
Our Investigations
Leaked internal documents from a Kremlin-controlled propaganda center reveal how a well-coordinated Russian campaign supported far-right parties in the European Parliament elections — and planted disinformation across social media platforms to undermine Ukraine.
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In a video resembling a movie trailer, the head of Russia’s secret propaganda project, Ilya Gambashidze, removes his sunglasses and sits behind a computer, wearing a camouflage-patterned hoodie with the words "Russian Ideological Troops" spelled out on his sleeve. Text flashes on the screen: “Narrative production, content creation, 300 media outlets, 20 think tanks…” The video, part of a leak from Russia’s IT organization Social Design Agency (SDA), appears to be aimed at partners interested in their information operations services.
“Gambashidze is responsible for numerous projects in various countries,” a source connected to EU intelligence told us. The organization and Gambashidze are already sanctioned both in the EU and the U.S.
Amid the ongoing full-scale war in Ukraine, the Russian presidential administration has emerged as a key client of SDA. Recently, the U.S Department of Justice and FBI revealed that Russian officials, including Sergei Kiriyenko, the Russian presidential administration’s chief of staff and often referred to as Vladimir Putin’s right-hand man, have attended several project meetings with Gambashidze. (We exposed his role in supervising influence operations in our previous investigative series, #KremlinLeaks). Sofia Zakharova, another staffer in Putin’s administration, is also a frequent participant in these meetings.
“Between April 2022 and April 2023, Gambashidze took notes related to at least 20 Russian Presidential Administration meetings,” the U.S. affidavit claims, citing several documents that are now also available to VSquare.
The leaked documents, comprising thousands of files from SDA servers, were obtained by Delfi Estonia, Süddeutsche Zeitung, NDR and WDR, who shared the data with international partners: De Standaard, NRC, Schemes, Shomrim, DR, Profil, Dossier Center, FRONTSTORY.PL and VSquare. The latest FBI files on Russian influence operations correspond with the data from the leak, and refers to the SDA as “a public relations company, specializing in election campaigns, with deep ties to the Russian government."
The leak reveals how the SDA operates as a center for psychological warfare. Its “army” consists not of soldiers, but of meme creators and internet trolls. According to internal records, the agency employs "ideologists”, eight "commentators," and a "bot farm operator."
The scale of disinformation production is astonishing. A leaked report claims that in the first four months of 2024, the SDA’s bot army, dubbed the "Russian Digital Army," generated 33.9 million comments. They also claim to have produced 39,899 “content units” on social media, including 4,641 videos and 2,516 memes and graphics.
Clear quotas are set. For example, in one project targeting Germany and France, the quotas were as follows: "Cartoons – 60 units. Memes – 180 units. Article comments – 400."
There are hundreds of examples of memes in the leaked documents, some of which were created by cartoonists employed by the SDA.
In internal discussions, those involved do not shy away from admitting that they are producing fake news and disinformation. Elections in Europe and the U.S. are the primary targets.
"The European Parliament elections are in the summer of 2024. Critical milestones are approaching in 2024, including the Bundestag elections and the U.S. presidential election. The outcome of these campaigns will largely determine the West’s future sanctions policy towards Russia and support for Ukraine," reads one document outlining the focus of these information operations.
The Russians remain optimistic about shifting Western public opinion on Ukraine.
"Public opinion in the project’s target countries is gradually moving towards reducing or completely stopping support for Ukraine," a document reads.
The leaked files include detailed reports on the thousands of fake comments made in various countries, along with instructions on how to craft such comments.
"Write a comment from a 38-year-old German woman, who believes Germany is losing its main source of income: industry and a strong economy – we must stop wasting money on Ukraine and return to cheap Russian energy!." one document offered as instruction.
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