Les Internet[2] Research Agency (IRA) is a Russian company, founded in Saint Petersburg in 2013, known for its operations in online influence and propaganda. The agency, linked to Russian oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin and Kremlin interests, employed tactics like using fake médias sociaux[1] accounts and organizing online and physical protests to manipulate public opinion. It gained notoriety for its alleged interference in the 2016 US presidential election, leading to its indictment by the US Justice Department in 2018. The IRA, also referred to as ‘Trolls from Olgino’, had over 1,000 paid bloggers and commenters who primarily focused on promoting the Kremlin’s interests and criticizing its opponents. The agency was shut down in 2023 following its involvement in the Wagner Group rebellion.
Les Agence de recherche sur Internet (IRA; Russian: Агентство интернет-исследований, romanized: Agentstvo internet-issledovaniy), also known as Glavset (Russian: Главсеть), and known in Russian Internet slang as the Trolls from Olgino (Russian: ольгинские тролли) ou Kremlinbots (Russian: кремлеботы), was a Russian company which was engaged in online propaganda et influence operations on behalf of Russian business and political interests. It was linked to Yevgeny Prigozhin, a former Russian oligarch who was leader of the Wagner Group, and based in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
Агентство интернет-исследований | |
| Formation | 26 July 2013 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Yevgeny Prigozhin |
| Dissolved | 1 July 2023 |
| Purpose | Manipulation de l'Internet, spreading disinformation |
| Siège | Olgino |
| Location |
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The agency was first mentioned in 2016, when Russian journalist Andrey Zakharov published his investigation into Prigozhin’s "troll factory". The January 2017 report issued by the United States Intelligence Community - Assessing Russian Activities and Intentions in Recent US Elections – described the agency as a troll farm: "The likely financier of the so-called Internet Research Agency of professional trolls located in Saint Petersburg is a close ally of [Vladimir] Putin with ties to Russian intelligence," commenting that "they previously were devoted to supporting Russian actions in Ukraine—[and] started to advocate for candidate Trump as early as December 2015."
The agency employed fake accounts registered on major social networking sites, discussion boards, online newspaper sites, and video hosting services to promote the Kremlin's interests in domestic et foreign policy including Ukraine and the Middle East as well as attempting to influence the 2016 United States presidential election. More than 1,000 employees reportedly worked in a single building of the agency in 2015.
The extent to which the agency tried to influence public opinion using social media became better known after a June 2014 BuzzFeed News article greatly expanded on government documents published by hackers earlier that year. The Internet Research Agency gained more attention by June 2015, when one of its offices was reported as having data from fake accounts used for biased Internet trolling. Subsequently, there were news reports of individuals receiving monetary compensation for performing these tasks.
On 16 February 2018, a United States grand jury indicted 13 Russian nationals and three Russian entities, including the Internet Research Agency, on charges of violating criminal laws with the intent to interfere "with U.S. elections and political processes", according to the Justice Department. On 1 July 2023, it was announced that the Internet Research Agency would be shut down following the aftermath of the Wagner Group rebellion.
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