Beyond Moscow’s bustling center, the name Olgino might not ring a bell for many. Yet this place has a story that stretches far beyond its physical borders. Olgino is known in Russian Internet slang as the Trolls from Olgino or Kremlinbots. It began as the Internet Research Agency.
The Internet Research Agency was a Russian company. It engaged in online propaganda. It also conducted influence operations. These actions were on behalf of Russian business and political interests. The agency had ties to Yevgeny Prigozhin. He was a former Russian oligarch. He also led the Wagner Group. The agency was based in Saint Petersburg.
The agency gained attention in a 2015 article by Adrian Chen in The New York Times. Russian journalist Andrey Zakharov further investigated Prigozhin’s troll factory. A 2017 report by the United States Intelligence Community assessed Russian activities. It described the agency as a troll farm. The report stated that the financier was a close ally of Putin with ties to Russian intelligence. They had supported Russian actions in Ukraine. Then they began advocating for candidate Trump as early as December 2015.
The agency used fake accounts on major social networking sites. They also used discussion boards, online newspaper sites, and video hosting services. They promoted the Kremlin’s interests in domestic and foreign policy. This included Ukraine and the Middle East. They attempted to influence the 2016 United States presidential election. Reportedly over 1000 employees worked in a single building in 2015.
A June 2014 BuzzFeed News article expanded on government documents. These documents detailed the agency’s attempts to influence public opinion using social media. By June 2015 one of its offices had data from fake accounts. These accounts were used for biased Internet trolling. News reports surfaced of individuals receiving money. They were paid for performing these tasks.
In February 2018 a United States grand jury indicted 13 Russian nationals. Three Russian entities were also indicted. This included the Internet Research Agency. They were charged with violating criminal laws. The intent was to interfere with U.S. elections and political processes. In July 2023 the Internet Research Agency was shut down. This followed the Wagner Group rebellion.
The approved strategy was to manipulate public consciousness through new media. Vyacheslav Volodin supported this strategy. He was the first deputy of the Vladimir Putin Presidential Administration of Russia. Alexey Soskovets had direct connection to the office in Olgino. His company, North-Western Service Agency, won contracts. These were for organizing celebrations, forums, and sport competitions.
The newspaper Novaya Gazeta reported that Internet Research Agency Ltd.’s office was in Olgino in 2013. The terms “Trolls from Olgino” and “Olgino’s trolls” became general terms. They denote trolls who spread pro-Russian propaganda. It did not matter if they were based at the office in Olgino.
In February 2023 Yevgeny Prigozhin stated that he founded the IRA. He had admitted to Russian interference in U.S. elections months earlier.
More than 1000 bloggers and commenters worked in a single building. This was at Savushkina Street in 2015. Others worked remotely. Each commentator had a daily quota of 100 comments.
Employees at the Olgino office earned 25000 Russian rubles per month. Those at the Savushkina Street office earned approximately 40000 Russian rubles. An employee described the work as being like a character in George Orwell’s 1984. It was a factory that turned lying into an industrial assembly line.
Posts covered criticism of Alexei Navalny and Ukraine. They also praised Vladimir Putin. A 2015 BBC News investigation identified the Olgino factory. It was the most likely producer of a video. In it an actor posed as a U.S. soldier shooting at a Quran. The video sparked outrage.
Today Olgino may seem like any other district. Yet it remains etched in the digital history books. It serves as a stark reminder of the power and potential abuse of online influence.