Vladimir Putin’s notorious ‘troll factory’ attacked with Molotov cocktails amid reports it employs an army of teens to flood social media with praise for Russia
Video shows the arsonists strike at the online propaganda centre
A RUSSIAN propaganda factory where 400 “trolls” spread damaging lies about Britain on the internet has been firebombed.
The spin unit, run by Vladimir Putin’s former chef, was gutted by Molotov cocktail-wielding arsonists, reports .
Putin's pal Evgeny Prigozhin heads the Agency for Internet Studies in St Petersburg.
English-speaking trolls get £600-a-month to post comments on UK media websites pouring poison on the West.
The three firebombs started a blaze in the offices of Nevsky News, which is in the same building. An administrator there managed to put out the fire.
It is not the first time angry activists have hit the site. In July, a group of people burned a tire and Soviet-style coats outside the entrance to protest the anti-Ukraine and pro-Kremlin propaganda and disinformation.
Ex-White House aide David Frum said: “The Russians intensely dislike larger groupings like the UK.
“The historic mission of spies is to gather information — the more modern mission is to spread disinformation. The Russians have been very active on social media.”
Prigozhin, 55, met Putin in 2001 and became a billionaire after getting government defence contracts.
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A convicted robber, he uses a dummy firm to bankroll the trolling factory.
Staff use multiple identities to appear to be writing like normal Brits.
Ex-worker Lyudmila Savchuk, 35, said: “You write things like: ‘Yesterday I went for a walk and the idea came to me how bad the situation is in Europe’.”
Russian media claimed the 2014 Scottish referendum was rigged. The Guardian newspaper got comments such as: “It is odd. I cannot recall any country to reject their own independence.”
News websites Pravda and Sputnik have announced plans to be based in Edinburgh from January. Spies are already in the capital, say sources.
Mr Frum added: “In a second referendum the Russians might try to teach people not to believe the experts but what Uncle Bert says on Facebook instead.”