Likes Go West

By May 2014, Kremlin-linked digital operators were already beginning to target Western audiences. Early troll-farm tactics combined synthetic engagement, pre-moderation loopholes, and provocative messaging aimed at American and European comment sections.

Published in Russian in Vedomosti, this column examined the early extension of Kremlin-linked online operations toward American and European audiences. Klishin connected that outward turn to methods developed after Russia's 2011 protest mobilization.

The article described research into the audiences and moderation rules of Western news sites. It discussed gradually developed accounts, tests of provocative comments, and plans to manufacture engagement. It also reported a conversation with Wolfgang Blau of The Guardian about the increase in pro-Kremlin messages in German-language discussions.

The piece distinguished the operators' ambitions from evidence of success: the documents it discussed included complaints that users suspected paid or ideological comments. This English archive note summarizes the Russian original; it is not a full translation.