Journalist wins Pro-Putin ‘troll factory’ court action
A secretive Russian agency that ran a pro-Putin ‘troll factory’ disseminating propaganda and misinformation online has been ordered to pay a symbolic one rouble fine to an ex-employee who initiated court action against her employers.
Lyudmila Savchuk was tasked with writing pro-Kremlin propaganda for web consumption from an anonymous office in St Petersburg but subsequently turned against her employers in an effort to shine a spotlight on the subterfuge.
This saw her sue The Agency for Internet Studies for alleged non-payment of wages and failing to write proper contracts for employees in a bid to inform the world what was really going on.
The freelance journalist worked undercover as a troll for two months before being unmasked after a number of critical articles began appearing in the local media about a ‘propaganda factory’ in their midst.
Savchuk said: “I am very happy with this victory. I achieved my aim, which was to bring the internet trolls out of the shade.”
The Kremlin denies any involvement with the work of the agency.