Russians running yearslong Trolling operation to project their blame onto Ukraine.

BudmanTX

Well-Known Member
looks like Russia is also silencing other media outlets there too.....tha $^$^%&^(&((**)))

Russia prosecutor general blocks 2 independent media outlets for their reporting on Ukraine invasion
From CNN’s Vasco Cotovio and Nathan Hodge in Moscow
The Russian prosecutor general has blocked access to two independent media outlets, Echo of Moscow and TV Rain, because of alleged violations over their reporting on the invasion of Ukraine.
In a statement, the prosecutor general accused the two outlets of disseminating what it called “information known to be false regarding the actions of Russian servicemen, as part of a special operation to protect the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Luhansk People’s Republic.”
It also says Echo of Moscow and TV Rain have been posting information which it says calls “for extremism, violence against citizens of the Russian Federation, mass violations of public order and public security.” Authorities in Russia forbid rallying without a permit and may consider broadcasting or reporting specific information on unauthorized rallies to be considered organizing illegal protests.
On Saturday, Russian communications regulator Roskomnadzor warned 10 local news outlets that it would restrict access to their publications unless they stop spreading what it calls false information, including references to the military operation in Ukraine as an "attack, invasion or declaration of war.”
In letters sent letters to these outlets, the regulator said it complained about allegedly “false information” they published on the shelling of Ukrainian cities and the death of civilians caused by the Russian armed forces.
The outlets notified were: Echo of Moscow, InoSMI, Mediazona, New Times, TV Rain, Svobodnaya Pressa, Krym.Realii, Novaya Gazeta, Zhurnalist and Lenizdat. Novaya Gazeta editor Dmitry Muratov won the Nobel Peace prize in 2021. Some of these outlets have been designated by Russian authorities as foreign agents.
“Unless the above inaccurate information is removed, access to these sources will be restricted,” it said in a statement on Saturday, announcing an investigation into the media outlets.
 

hanimmal

Well-Known Member
https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-kyiv-business-europe-media-3a131e7e0bdc006d697a3eb467a66d29Screen Shot 2022-03-02 at 8.15.59 PM.png

Associated Press journalists around Ukraine and beyond are documenting military activity during Russia’s invasion. With disinformation rife and social media amplifying military claims and counterclaims, determining exactly what is happening can be difficult. Here’s a look at what could be confirmed Wednesday as Russia’s military assault on Ukraine was in its seventh day.

DIRECTLY WITNESSED

— Three boys wounded Wednesday by apparent Russian shelling while they were playing near a school were rushed to a hospital in the besieged port city of Mariupol. One of the boys died soon after arrival, according to an AP reporter at the scene. The other two were rushed into surgery. A woman with severe wounds to her face from the same strike was also brought to the hospital.

— Videos circulated online of an apparent attack Wednesday on the regional police and intelligence headquarters in Kharkiv, showing a building with its roof blown off and its top floor on fire. The Ukrainian state emergency service said residential buildings were also hit. It said four people died and nine were wounded. Kharkiv resident Marina Boreiko told the AP she heard children crying and saw bodies in rubble.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
ANNOUNCED BY UKRAINIAN AUTHORITIES

— Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office reported a powerful explosion Wednesday night in Kyiv in the area of a main railway station. The Ukrainian Railway Service said thousands of people were being evacuated from the Southern Railway Station at the time of the strike. The building of the station suffered minor damage and the train traffic continued. It wasn’t immediately clear if anyone was killed or wounded.

— An adviser to Zelenskyy claimed Wednesday evening several Russian planes were shot down over Kharkiv. The adviser said the advance of Russian troops in the city has been stopped, but the Russians in response shelled resistance with rocket launchers and air attacks. A Kharkiv official said 21 people have been killed and at least 112 wounded over the past 24 hours.

— Ukrainian UNIAN news agency quoted the health administration chief of the northern city of Chernihiv, Serhiy Pivovar, as saying Wednesday two cruise missiles hit a hospital there. Authorities were working to determine the casualty toll.

— Ukrainian police said Wednesday they arrested a man who brought explosives hidden in a children’s toy to one of the Kyiv subway stations where thousands of people have been sheltering. The police also said four other suspected saboteurs were arrested, including two who were carrying weapons.

— The mayor of Irpin, located about 25 kilometers (15 miles) west of Kyiv, said a rocket hit a multi-story residential building Wednesday morning.

— An advisor to Zelenskyy’s office told reporters Wednesday there is no evidence that Belarusian forces are also involved in the fighting, but said “there are signals.” Belarusian troops were concentrated close to the countries’ border early Wednesday, officials said.

— Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said Wednesday more than 2,000 civilians have died, though it was impossible to verify that claim.

ANNOUNCED BY RUSSIAN AUTHORITIES

— Vladimir Medinsky, Russia President Vladimir Putin’s aide, told reporters the Ukrainians are expected to arrive to Belarus for talks Thursday. He said they agreed to meet in the Brest region of Belarus, which borders Poland. Zelenskyy’s office confirmed to the AP the delegation is on its way.

— A spokesman of the Russian Defense Ministry said Wednesday in the country’s first report of deaths that 498 Russian troops have been killed in Ukraine and 1,597 more sustained wounds. Ukrainian officials have estimated a much higher death toll. Neither countries’ claims could be corroborated.

— Russia Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov claimed the airstrike Tuesday on a TV tower in the capital of Kyiv did not hit any residential buildings. Konashenkov did not address allegations that the strike damaged the neighboring Babi Yar memorial to Kyiv’s Holocaust victims. Ukraine’s State Service for Emergency Situations said the strikes killed five people and left five more wounded.

— Moscow made new threats of escalation, days after raising the specter of nuclear war. A top Kremlin official warned that the West’s “economic war” against Russia could turn into a “real one.”

ANNOUNCED BY OFFICIALS ELSEWHERE

— The Pentagon announced Wednesday it’s postponing a nuclear missile test launch scheduled for this week to avoid any possible misunderstanding in light of Putin’s recent decision to put his nuclear forces on high alert.

— The Pentagon’s press secretary said the U.S. assessment of Kherson is that the city is still contested. Russian authorities have claimed the city is under their “complete control.” Ukrainian authorities say that’s not the case.

— U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit six European countries this week. The State Department said Blinken will travel Thursday to Belgium for a meeting of NATO foreign ministers before heading to the Polish border with Ukraine to meet refugees, and then Moldova, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.

— Sweden’s armed forces reported four Russian fighter jets flew over its airspace Wednesday. The armed forces said photographs of the planes confirmed the violation, which was brief and took place east of the island Gotland, over the sea.

— A senior U.S. defense official said Wednesday the Russian convoy still appears to be stalled about 25 kilometers (15 miles) outside the center of Kyiv and hasn’t made much progress in the last couple days. The official said the convoy is plagued with fuel and food shortages and logistical problems, as well as facing continued fierce resistance from Ukrainians. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly, said there has been an increase in the number of missiles and artillery targeting Kyiv.

— Russians have not been able to achieve air superiority and Ukrainian air defenses remain operable, the U.S. defense official said.

— The spokesman for the French Ministry of Armed Forces, Hervé Grandjean, said Wednesday on France Info news a Russian offensive “seems imminent” in Kyiv despite “slower move than what Russian forces had probably anticipated.”

— The United Nations Refugee Agency reported Wednesday evening more than 874,000 refugees have fled Ukraine since the beginning of the conflict.

— Russia claimed Wednesday afternoon its military has taken control of the area around Ukraine’s largest nuclear power plant. That’s according to the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N. nuclear watchdog.

— Human Rights Watch said it documented a cluster bomb attack outside a hospital in Ukraine’s east in recent days. Residents also reported the use of such weapons in Kharkiv and Kiyanka village. The Kremlin denied using cluster bombs.
 

hanimmal

Well-Known Member
@rollitup , thought you might find this interesting.

https://www.rawstory.com/ukraine-american-russian-tanks/Screen Shot 2022-03-03 at 10.53.03 AM.png
A video went viral this week of a man in a black leather jacket and army-green cap, with a thick southern accent and a convoy of Russian tanks behind him. The video shows he's clearly all-in for Russia, parroting propaganda that they were there to "liberate" Ukraine. He even used the Putin line that they were somehow fighting "Nazis" in Ukraine.

Rolling Stone found out that the man's name is Russell “Texas” Bentley, and he farms cannabis in the United States.

“These guys are tough. These guys are ready. And there’s plenty of ‘em,” Bentley says in the video. “We’re gettin’ ready to bring the hammer down. These guys are going to save and liberate all the good people of Ukraine. And the bad people? BOOM! Kick their ass.”

In an hour-long interview, Bentley indicated that he was with the Russian army for the long haul. In fact, they might take over all of Europe and the United States for Putin along with Ukraine, according to his posts on Russian social media, saying he was "heading west with the Liberators of Ukraine. We may stop in Kiev, we may stop on the English Channel. We may liberate the USA."

WATCH: CNN's Toobin flags a 'very significant' piece of evidence in new House Jan. 6 Committee filing

“I don’t give a f*ck what they think about me in the United States,” he told Rolling Stone. “The government — or most of the people."

He once mounted an independent campaign for a Minnesota Senate seat that was ultimately won by Paul Wellstone. He's from a wealthy family and grew up in the "Beverly Hills of Dallas," he explained and a middle school dropout, though he did go back to get his GED.

Growing up, he said "I was reading Ho Chi Minh and Che Guevara. I understood the Vietnamese were right to defend their land against foreign invaders, and that the United States was wrong. I understood that Fidel and Che were right to overthrow the foreign masters that had turned Cuba into a casino and bordello. I’m anti-racist. I’m anti-imperialist. I grew up supporting people’s rights to defend themselves.”

But when it comes to Ukraine, his ideas about democracy were "less developed."

The report noted talking to him was difficult because he appeared to live in a completely different reality that is against the United States leaders and media.

"Everything they say is a lie. It is 180 degrees — the opposite direction from what is true. Believe me, bro, this is very clear cut,” he explained. “This is the battle, not just of Ukraine. This is the battle between good-and-evil for the future of the world. And right now, it’s looking like the world might just have a chance because us and our friends are kicking some Nazi ass right now."

He closed by praying that God protect the innocent and deliver everything everyone else deserves.

Read the full interview at Rolling Stone and see his video below:
https://twitter.com/BadWeaponTakes/statuses/1498379906216046592

Screen Shot 2022-03-03 at 10.55.07 AM.png
 

hanimmal

Well-Known Member
https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-volodymyr-zelenskyy-kyiv-technology-misinformation-5e884b85f8dbb54d16f5f10d105fe850Screen Shot 2022-03-04 at 4.12.34 PM.png
Russian state media is spreading misinformation about the location of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in what analysts said is an attempt to discourage resistance fighters and erode support for Ukraine around the globe.

A story published by the Russian News Agency Tass this week quoted a Russian lawmaker saying Zelenskyy “hastily fled” Kyiv for Lviv in far western Ukraine, despite photos and video clips showing him leading Ukraine’s defense from its capital.

It’s one of many distorted claims to emerge from a Russian propaganda and disinformation campaign that aims to strengthen domestic support for the invasion and undermine the resolve of Ukrainians. But the same tactics that have sustained such propaganda for years are running into a far more complex reality where the claims can be instantly and credibly rebutted on social media.

Videos and photos of Zelenskyy in Kyiv have quickly become some of the defining images of the invasion, rallying support for Ukraine at home and abroad and challenging Russia’s attempt to control public perception.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
By claiming he’s fled Kyiv, Russia hopes to undermine Zelenskyy’s status as a Ukrainian hero while also suggesting legitimate sources of news and information can’t be trusted, according to Sarah Oates, a professor at the University of Maryland who studies Russian propaganda.

To Oates, it’s a move that smacks of desperation by a Russian propaganda machine that can’t compete with viral images of Ukrainian defiance.

“They’re flailing. They’ve been doing this for decades and they have a very well oiled delivery system but right now their content just isn’t working,” Oates said. “The Ukrainians may be completely outgunned by traditional military, but they are winning the propaganda war.”

Some of the most popular posts falsely claiming Zelenskyy has fled are clearly aimed at an international audience. The news outlet Sputnik ran translated versions of the story not only in English and Spanish but also Portuguese and Vietnamese. A Spanish-language TikTok video created by Sputnik — set to the grooves of the American band Twenty One Pilots — has racked up more than 2.3 million views.

Zelenskyy has declined American offers to help him evacuate the city.

“The fight is here; I need ammunition, not a ride,” Zelenskyy said last week, according to a senior American intelligence official with direct knowledge of the conversation.

Despite the evidence that Zelenskyy remains in Kyiv, Sputnik and Tass have not removed their claims or added corrections. The story has also been republished in Italy, India and China.

The false story began spreading on Twitter on Friday when George Papadopoulous, a former aide to ex-President Donald Trump, posted a link to the claim in an Italian publication. Papadopoulos served prison time for lying to the FBI during its investigation into Russia’s meddling on behalf of Trump in the 2016 election.

“Breaking: Zelensky, after saying he would not abandon Ukraine, has fled the country,” Papadopoulous tweeted. He did not immediately return a message seeking comment on Friday.

Claims that Zelenskyy has abandoned the capital aren’t the only narratives Russia is trying to use to lower Ukrainian morale, according to Roman Osadchuk, a Ukraine-based analyst with the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab. He said Russian forces have also tried to spread claims that Ukraine has surrendered.

Early in the invasion, a fake account said to be controlled by Zelenskyy appeared on the platform Telegram telling Ukrainians to surrender to the invaders.

“Attacking morale seems to be really important for the Russian forces,” Osadchuk said Friday during an online discussion about the conflict.

After the European Union’s president called for a ban on Russian state media, a wave of tech companies blocked the channels from their platforms within the EU. They include Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, as well as TikTok and Google, the owner of YouTube.

TikTok, which boasts more than one billion users worldwide, has emerged as perhaps the leading front in the information war that’s running parallel to the military invasion, according to Ciaran O’Connor, an analyst who researches online disinformation at the London-based Institute for Strategic Dialogue. TikTok’s loose content moderation policies when compared to Facebook or YouTube make it a more effective means of spreading misinformation and propaganda.

One favored tactic used by Russian state media is to highlight pro-Russian comments from Western leaders to divide its opponents, O’Connor said. For example, the Russian news agency RIA Novosti uploaded a TikTok video clip this week featuring Trump’s recent praise of Russian President Vladimir Putin. It has been viewed more than 4 million times.

“This is one of the first major wars in which TikTok has been at the forefront of events on the ground,” O’Connor said, “both for people watching from afar but also those trying to document events, disseminate narratives and shape perceptions.”
 

hanimmal

Well-Known Member
https://www.rawstory.com/russia-propaganda/
Screen Shot 2022-03-04 at 8.10.29 PM.png
Russian President Vladimir Putin seems to have overestimated his ability to control the narrative over his invasion of Ukraine, according to a new report by NBC News.

"Russia's propaganda operation is flailing worldwide. It doesn't appear like it had a plan for the war not being over with by now," NBC News reporter Ben Collins posted to Twitter. "Russian propaganda just didn't have a plan for the war going this badly. I've been covering it for years and have never seen them caught this far off guard."

Collins' analysis came after he and Natasha Korecki reported that "Twitter has banned more than 100 accounts that pushed the pro-Russian hashtag #IStandWithPutin for participating in 'coordinated inauthentic behavior,' days after the hashtag trended on Twitter amid the invasion in Ukraine."

RELATED: 'A sign of desperation': Russia expert thinks Putin's military is in much worse shape than you think

The two said the inauthentic activity was discovered by Marc Owen Jones, an assistant professor at Hamad Bin Khalifa University in Qatar.

“People throw the term bots around a lot, but what we saw here was lots of accounts demonstrating inauthentic activity and astroturfing,” Jones said. “They’re not bots. They’re a lot harder to check than that. Imagine a call center setup. Think of the amount of damage you can do.”

The report comes as Russia blocked Facebook in the country.

Andrew Gonzalez, an analyst with the digital analysis firm Omelas says it may be too late for Putin to shift the sympathy for Ukraine.

“Russia isn’t getting the same impact of its audiences as it historically has gotten,” Gonzalez said. “The audience is certainly believing more so the Western portrayal that it’s a tragedy for Ukraine and Russia is the aggressor. That narrative is quite firm right now.”

https://twitter.com/oneunderscore__/statuses/1499877195552108553
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Fogdog

Well-Known Member
How much revenue came to twitter from Russia before sanctions were invoked? Russia's financial accounts are frozen. Twitter just now cut Russia off? It may be cynical of me to say it. Was this a coincidence?

How does Twitter make money: Analyzing the Revenue Model

.

The source of revenue in Twitter’s case is divided into two categories:

  • Advertising Services: This is the large chunk of the revenue pie, having contributed $3.2 billion, i.e., 86% of the revenue generated in 2020.
  • Data Licensing: Providing paid access to data accounted for a revenue of $0.5 billion i.e., the remaining 14% of the revenue in 2020. Though on the smaller side, it has the potential to increase manifold in the future as data about users and their preferences gains more importance in the consumer-centric world.


Advertising Services
Advertising services generally comprise of Twitter exhibiting promoted products in the form of:

Promoted tweets: Of all the tweets that appear on a user’s timeline, a specific type is the one labeled as “promoted”. Based on the user preferences, their likes, and dislikes, Twitter algorithms try to feature promoted tweets on user timelines that may pique their interest in the product or service. This gives brands a chance to enhance their visibility.​
Promoted accounts: Twitter provides suggestions to users about “Who to follow.” This is based on user preferences, demographics, location, and overall activity on the platform. It can help a rookie brand promote itself or even an established brand to boost a new campaign and go viral. Promoted accounts are a way for advertisers to create a community of users on Twitter who are curious about their product or services.​
Promoting a trending topic: Hashtags display the pulse of the trending topics. For instance, #crypto is one of the popular hashtags nowadays due to the globally rising curiosity for cryptocurrency. A promoted trend is displayed on a per-day per-geography basis.​

Data Licensing

Twitter generates revenue in data licensing through two ways:

  • Providing data products and licenses that permit Twitter’s data partners to access, search and analyze historical and real-time data comprising public tweets and their content.
  • Offering mobile advertising exchange services through the MoPub exchange.

I'm not on twitter and so I have no visibility into what might change after they cut Russia off. If you or anybody who uses twitter notices changes that might be relevant to this action by Twitter, I'd find it interesting if you shared your observations.
 

hanimmal

Well-Known Member
How much revenue came to twitter from Russia before sanctions were invoked? Russia's financial accounts are frozen. Twitter just now cut Russia off? It may be cynical of me to say it. Was this a coincidence?

How does Twitter make money: Analyzing the Revenue Model

.

The source of revenue in Twitter’s case is divided into two categories:

  • Advertising Services: This is the large chunk of the revenue pie, having contributed $3.2 billion, i.e., 86% of the revenue generated in 2020.
  • Data Licensing: Providing paid access to data accounted for a revenue of $0.5 billion i.e., the remaining 14% of the revenue in 2020. Though on the smaller side, it has the potential to increase manifold in the future as data about users and their preferences gains more importance in the consumer-centric world.


Advertising Services
Advertising services generally comprise of Twitter exhibiting promoted products in the form of:

Promoted tweets: Of all the tweets that appear on a user’s timeline, a specific type is the one labeled as “promoted”. Based on the user preferences, their likes, and dislikes, Twitter algorithms try to feature promoted tweets on user timelines that may pique their interest in the product or service. This gives brands a chance to enhance their visibility.​
Promoted accounts: Twitter provides suggestions to users about “Who to follow.” This is based on user preferences, demographics, location, and overall activity on the platform. It can help a rookie brand promote itself or even an established brand to boost a new campaign and go viral. Promoted accounts are a way for advertisers to create a community of users on Twitter who are curious about their product or services.​
Promoting a trending topic: Hashtags display the pulse of the trending topics. For instance, #crypto is one of the popular hashtags nowadays due to the globally rising curiosity for cryptocurrency. A promoted trend is displayed on a per-day per-geography basis.​

Data Licensing

Twitter generates revenue in data licensing through two ways:

  • Providing data products and licenses that permit Twitter’s data partners to access, search and analyze historical and real-time data comprising public tweets and their content.
  • Offering mobile advertising exchange services through the MoPub exchange.

I'm not on twitter and so I have no visibility into what might change after they cut Russia off. If you or anybody who uses twitter notices changes that might be relevant to this action by Twitter, I'd find it interesting if you shared your observations.
I would be really curious to see how engagement from troll farms outside of Russia (Brazil, Belerus, Philippines, America, etc) is impacted by the Russian sanctions.
 
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