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Yveneny Prigozhin’s wartime atrocities propelled the brutal mercenary into the limelight. However Prigozhin—who was as soon as Russian president Vladimir Putin’s chef and a small-time criminal—additionally held a title as one of many world’s greatest disinformation peddlers. For years, Prigozhin operated the infamous Web Analysis Company, a Russian troll farm that meddled in US elections and beyond.
When Prigozhin abruptly died in a mysterious plane crash on August 23, round two months after he led his Wagner Group mercenaries in a failed mutiny towards Putin, the trolls didn’t cease posting. As a substitute, in line with a brand new evaluation shared with WIRED, some continued to indicate their assist for him.
Within the days instantly after his demise, a coordinated community of pro-Prigozhin accounts on X (previously generally known as Twitter) pushed messages saying that the warlord was a hero and good for Russia, regardless of the Wagner Group’s failed revolt towards Putin in June. These messages additionally blamed the West for the airplane crash and mentioned that the Wagner Group would proceed working in Africa.
“It was not worthwhile for Putin to kill Prigozhin. PMC [private military company] carry numerous weight in Africa, and Prigozhin skillfully managed it, regardless of his ‘character quirks,’” one account posted on X. “Prigozhin served for the nice of Russia, remained devoted to his army oath, and was killed by saboteurs, or terrorists mined the airplane,” one other speculated. “Briefly, he simply ditched his cellphone and disappeared into the sundown, identical to in a typical motion film,” a 3rd posted.
The organized accounts have been all recognized and shared with WIRED by Antibot4Navalny, an nameless group of volunteers who monitor Russian-language affect operations on X. An individual behind the group, whom WIRED granted anonymity because of security issues, says they began inspecting the posts of suspected X accounts after the crash after they “seen that Prigozhin is surprisingly lined in an completely optimistic mild.” The group discovered 30 accounts pushing pro-Prigozhin narratives, they are saying.
The exercise could possibly be an indication that Prigozhin remained accountable for the Web Analysis Company troll manufacturing facility till he died, the group claims, including that it echoes comparable exercise they beforehand noticed. Reviews have said that after the tried June rebellion, Prigozhin-owned information web sites and the troll manufacturing facility have been being shut down or on the lookout for new house owners. “Domestically, there was numerous debate whether or not or not Prigozhin misplaced his management over the troll manufacturing facility as one of many rapid aftermaths of the mutiny,” the Antibot4Navalny member says.
Whereas the posts on X are solely a tiny snapshot of social media exercise, they spotlight how Russian-linked propaganda has modified for the reason that Web Analysis Company interfered in US politics in 2016, consultants say. The Russian misinformation and disinformation trade has advanced right into a wealthy ecosystem of state-backed media, huge Telegram channels, and extra standard social media posts. Thousands and thousands of individuals comply with so-called military bloggers and war journalists on Telegram—a few of these channels are linked to the Russian state, whereas others are aligned with Pirgozhin and the Wagner Group. However all can muddy the waters or repeat set strains.
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