Russian trolls, cyber hackers increase online activity to push pro-Kremlin messages on Ukraine war
Russia has found a shady new way to target Western countries and Australians are not immune. Here’s what you need to watch out for.
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Russian trolls are waging information warfare on an industrial scale from an old arms factory in St Petersburg, targeting Australians and other Western countries on social media to manipulate public opinion.
Australian intelligence has been told by British counterparts not only were Russian cyber hackers increasing malicious activity but paid trolls were looking to amplify pro-Kremlin messaging around its war on Ukraine.
The network, based in St Petersburg’s Arsenal Machine-building Factory that manufactures military equipment and technology, learnt its tactics from the American Far-Right QAnon group which successfully pushes its fake news conspiracies.
The Russian troll group is suspected to be linked to Russian oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of the internet Research Agency accused of meddling in the 2016 election that saw Donald Trump win the presidency.
He is on the Australian Government’s list of 33 military and business identities financially sanctioned and slapped with travel bans as punishment for their links to Russia’s February 24 invasion of Ukraine.
His operations are reportedly integrated with Russia’s Defence Ministry and GRU intelligence arm as well as the infamous mercenary Russian army Wagner Group.
Foreign Minister Marise Payne said the report showed Russia was finding “dangerous new ways to try to manipulate world opinion by trolling senior politicians and news media outlets”.
“The world is justifiably outraged by the actions of Vladimir Putin,” she told News Corp. “Efforts to blunt this outrage will continue to be called out for the lies, disinformation and propaganda that they are.”
She said Prigozhin was among 702 individuals sanctioned including more than 30 propagandists.
The latest probe, led by the UK Government, into the campaign to manipulate public opinion found the Russian troll farm had recruited and hired salaried workers as “patriotic activity” by Cyber Front Z.
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said the shady activity could not be tolerated.
“The UK Government has alerted international partners and will continue to work closely with allies and media platforms to undermine Russian information operations,” she said.
“We cannot allow the Kremlin and its shady troll farms to invade our online spaces with their lies about Putin’s illegal war.”
Late last year Facebook took the unusual step of outing a secretive cabal in China that had created a “online hall of mirrors” with hundreds of social media accounts of fake “experts” and commentators to spread conspiracies and fake news.
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