View article

Political trolling in Russia has reached massive proportions, as evidenced by both investigative journalism revealing the existence of ‘troll factories’1 and ‘big data’analysis of trolling activity on the internet. 2 Russian ‘trolls’ have also been officially charged with Kremlin-orchestrated hacking and interference in other countries’ affairs, most notably elections. 3 But what is the philosophy behind trolling, and what is its effect on political communication? This chapter looks at both the internal and external dimensions of Russia’s trolling complex. Within Russia, trolls’ activities serve to neutralise dissident voices on the internet and thereby reduce the potential for anti-regime political mobilisation. Moscow deploys trolls abroad as part of a disruptive and subversive strategy, undermining the liberal order to its advantage.