Amplifying doubt: How Russian trolls leveraged pandemic uncertainty for strategic gain

By Maksim Markelov | May 13, 2025

One of the reputed homes of the Russian state-sponsored “Internet Research Agency” (sometimes known in Russian slang as the “Kremlinbots”), first mentioned in a 2015 New York Times Magazine article. Located in St. Petersburg, Russia, it was the base for hundreds or even a thousand workers; some media outlets said this troll farm, was linked to Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Russian oligarch who headed the Wagner Group before leading a rebellion in Ukraine and then dying in a mysterious plane crash. In 2018, a US grand jury indicted the Internet Research Agency—along with two other Russian entities—on charges of violating criminal laws with the intent to interfere "with U.S. elections and political processes," according to the US Department of Justice. In July 2023, Russian officials announced that the Internet Research Agency was shut down, after the Wagner Group rebellion.

Amplifying doubt: How Russian trolls leveraged pandemic uncertainty for strategic gain

By Maksim Markelov | May 13, 2025

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