WSJ: Prigozhin Is Dead, But There Is A Nuance

His “line” continues.

Russian troll farms linked to Yevgeny Prigozhin remain active months after the mercenary leader died in a plane crash and are likely to continue spreading disinformation aimed at influencing opinion about the war in Ukraine and the US elections.

The Wall Street Journal, citing Google Mandiant Intelligence, claims that several different online influence campaigns with hidden or financial ties to Prigozhin were active throughout 2023, and their activities continued even when the Russian government dismantled after his death in August. propaganda units more openly associated with Prigozhin.

While none of the campaigns have gained significant traction online, the groups' continued activity suggests Russia could increase its influence as the U.S. election approaches, analysts say.

Russian disinformation tactics have changed since 2016, according to disinformation researchers and Western officials. While earlier efforts focused primarily on attracting large audiences to viral content on social media platforms, the focus is now on creating websites that pose as legitimate news sources.

Some newer methods also include paying actors to post fake videos that, for example, accuse Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of being a drug addict.

However, traditional social media continues to be the focus of Russian trolls who seek to create inauthentic accounts on various platforms, experts say. At the same time, Google was unable to determine who managed the assets associated with Prigozhin after his death.