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BREAKING
Political aide to the governor of Gilan Province in northern Iran: Air defenses in Rasht shot down a small hostile drone flying over the city
Israeli media: The presence of General Qaani at the “victory celebrations” in Tehran puts an end to the rumors and earlier reports claiming he had been assassinated
Israeli media: There is division within the US administration itself over the extent of what the strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities actually achieved
Israeli media: US intelligence also says Iran’s centrifuges remained largely intact
Israeli media: Netanyahu and Trump celebrated too soon, as US intelligence says Iran’s uranium stockpile was not damaged
Israeli Channel 13: The objectives set by Netanyahu for the operation against Iran have not been achieved
Early US intel assessment suggests strikes on Iran did not destroy nuclear sites, CNN reports, citing sources
Israeli media platform: An additional soldier has been confirmed killed in the serious incident in Gaza, who had previously been considered "missing" for some time
Pezeshkian: History will not forget how Iran’s enemies broke their pledges and agreements, resorting to aggression and invasion even during negotiations
Israeli media: Between 14 and 16 soldiers were injured in the incident, which reportedly involved two separate units at the brigade and division level

US-backed NGO runs Russian opposition troll farm: Reports

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: News websites
  • 16 Nov 2023 09:16
3 Min Read

An American NGO chaired by a former State Department staffer pays online users $10/ hour to attack the Russian government.

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  • A man uses a cell phone in New Orleans, Aug. 11, 2019 (AP)
    A man uses a cell phone in New Orleans, Aug. 11, 2019. (AP)

A recent investigation released by Russian SVTV shows that an NGO founded by jailed Russian dissident Alexei Navalny has been operating a network of payrolled online trolls (online commentators) to attack the Kremlin government and their political opponents. 

The investigation is based on leaked documents provided by a whistleblower who formerly worked for the Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK). 

The documents reveal that FBK has been managing the troll farm for at least two years now.

The troll farm, according to the documents, is bankrolled by the Free Russia Foundation: an American NGO that receives tax-free donations from sponsors of “civil society and democratic development in Russia.”

Read more: Soros officially hands control of financial empire to son

Trolls working from multiple countries

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The Free Russia Foundation board of directors is chaired by David Kramer, senior fellow at the McCain Institute and former State Department assistant secretary. Paige Alexander, a former assistant administrator at USAID, is also among the board members. 

The direct work was reportedly contracted to Reforum, a "social media management consultations" firm, which employed 200 online commentators. According to SVTV, the trolls were instructed to use photos of real people who lost access to their accounts.  

The trolls (online commentators), who worked from multiple offices in Vilnius, Lithuania and Tbilisi, Georgia, were reportedly paid $10 per hour, making up to $1,950 a month, and were supplied with links to online posts which they were expected to comment on. 

The trolls have also gone after FBK’s opponents and other opposition figures who have had disagreements with Navalny, while leaving positive comments under content released by FBK.

Read more: Neo-compradors: the leftist foot soldiers of Imperialism

NED behind a number of uprisings

Last year, a report by MintPress News revealed that the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) has spent $22.4 million on anti-Russia operations inside Ukraine since 2014.

The NED was established in 1983 by the Reagan administration following a series of public scandals that undermined the CIA's public image. Explaining the NED's creation, its President Carl Gershman said in a 1986 interview, "It would be terrible for democratic groups around the world to be seen as subsidized by the CIA." Its co-founder Allen Weinstein told The Washington Post in 1991, "A lot of what we do today was done covertly 25 years ago by the CIA."

The National Endowment for Democracy, as the MintPress report reveals, was behind a number of prominent uprisings and coups around the world. It currently has 40 active projects in Belarus, and NED senior Europe Program Officer Nina Ognianova even said her agency was involved in protests that took place last year. “We don’t think that this movement that is so impressive and so inspiring came out of nowhere — that it just happened overnight,” she said, adding that NED had made a “modest but significant contribution” to the protests.

Read more: US welcomes withdrawal of Georgia draft law on 'foreign influence'

  • United States
  • Russia
  • Alexei Navalny
  • NGO
  • Trolls
Russia & NATO

Russia & NATO

As the Draconian Western-led sanctions on Russia exacerbate the economic crisis worldwide, and as Russian troops gain more ground despite the influx of military aid into Ukraine, exposing US direct involvement in bio-labs spread across Eastern Europe and the insurgence of neo-Nazi groups… How will things unfold?

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