Avenging trolls Prigozhin

Before the ex-employee of the "troll factory" to chat with foreign media, as the police came to him. Details of this story, he told The New Times

Photo: Transparency.org.ru

The lower caste of trolls

The history of Marat Mindiarov began in the same way as many former employees of the “Internet research agency” on Savushkin Street in St. Petersburg, better known as the “Troll Factory” . A man needed work. The hostel, where he worked, was about to close because of the end of the tourist season. And then one of the guests told about the vacancy: decent money for commenting on news on the Internet. So in December 2015, Mindiarov was at a “factory” interview.

“I really knew where I was going. The media have already written about the "troll factory." But I was sure that they would not take me, as I adhere to opposition views. He wrote about this in his LiveJournal and Facebook. This could be calculated very quickly. But then they did not figure out anything. And I was quite easily in the camp of the enemy. On the one hand, I was wondering how everything was arranged there, on the other hand, money was very necessary. I decided to combine the pleasant with useful. At first I did not understand the scale of what was happening. But I quickly realized that if you have a conscience, there is nothing to do there, ”says Mindiarov.

The employees only needed to quickly write comments. No introductory trainings, immediately into battle. On the first day, he was told to make fake accounts and post posts under the news in the media from them. Later, he realized that he was in the “lower caste” at the “factory” - the commentary department. There were other units: someone made a video, someone-demotivators. In the Facebook department, professional translators worked, who posted on social networks under the guise of real Americans .

The situation at the "Troll Factory" is heavy, gloomy and monotonous. In each room, there are three curators who walk behind ordinary trolls and from their computers watch what they are doing. For a 12-hour shift under certain news, 135 comments should be written in 200 signs

The “lower caste” was easier. Every morning, the employees of the commentary department received a list of links. These were mainly regional news sites - from Samara, Vladivostok and so on. For a 12-hour shift under certain news, 135 comments on 200 characters should be written. Of course, the meaning of the posts should have been Prochrevsky - for Vladimir Putin, against the "bad" Obama and Merkel. The list of keywords for posts was attached. Employees were divided into “triples” to imitate Internet discounts.

Mindyarov’s colleagues were mainly students of 18–22 years old. According to the man, the majority did not understand politics at all, and had no desire to do this: “They were mostly stupid. They write about someone and do not even know who he is. Politics was a drum for them. All conclusions were already recorded for them, they simply played words, rewritten close in meaning. In fact, the same text was chewed 100 times. But I am sure that they were happy to receive 40-50 thousand rubles for their work. It’s not to drag bricks. ”

Trolls without names and right to error

According to the ex-worker of the "troll factory", he did not have friendly relations with colleagues. And before conversations, when it is necessary to fulfill the standards, that is, print almost without stopping.

“There was neither communication nor laughter, because they also scolded for him. The situation was heavy, gloomy and monotonous. There were three curators in the room who walked behind them and could watch what we are doing from their computer. And God forbid you write something wrong, ”he recalls. - I once made a mistake in the picture: I confused Yanukovych with Poroshenko. And what began here, right the end of the world. "How could you, we will deprive you of salaries." And this is just a picture in a comment. They called to the authorities and began to bind. But mostly there are all working soldiers, they do what they were told, they do not take a step to the right or left. ”

“They are stupid mainly. They write about someone and do not even know who he is. Politics on their drum. But I am sure that they were happy to receive 40-50 thousand rubles for their work. This is not to drag bricks "

During the campaign “on the carpet”, due to the picture, the Mindyarov saw one of the leaders of the “Internet research agency” to Alexander Krylov. Her name will later appear in the report of the US Prosecutor General. Krylov and another 12 Russians will be accused of interfering with the American elections. But personally, he never talked with her, and the other leaders of the "factory" preferred not to call their names.

“No one seems to be there at all, and they don’t really go to the floors. All behind closed doors. Money cash, no contracts - Sharashkin’s office, ”he says.

Mindyarov decided to quit two months after work at the Factory. And at first he did not plan to tell his story to the whole world. But among his friends in the “closed” LiveJournal was the journalist of Radio Liberty. Marat promised to give him the first interview after taking the last salary. Immediately after the release of the material on the social network of a man, a flurry of offensive comments from the “trolls” fell: “They were given an order to trample me. They did it and immediately forgot about me. "

"The bomb made from your phone"

Almost three years have passed, the history of Mindiarov was lost behind many other revelations of the former employees of the Factory. But after the US Prosecutor General’s Office officially accused Russians of 2016 presidential intervention, foreign media began to call him again. Over the past weekend, he managed to interview The Washington Post, Associated Press and BBC. However, this time, conversations did not remain without consequences.

“I gave the last interview on Sunday evening. And on the night of Sunday to Monday to the apartment, which I rent with Comrade Igor, the police arrived. It was already the second hour of the night, they knocked on the door, supposedly the neighbors complained about the noise. We were sleepy and did not feel any catch. They opened the door. We say: “Please go to the kitchen,” he says. The policeman sat down, began to fill out the protocol. And as it came to the name of my neighbor and the number of his phone, he immediately stood up and said: "The bomb bell received from your phone." If they initially knew about this, why then it was necessary to play this performance? This operative even shook his hands. ”

A few hours after Mindyarov gave an interview with a foreign media, police officers broke into his apartment, who stated that his friend had a bomb from his friend. He spoke with a journalist on his friend’s phone, but through his account in WhatsApp

Mindiarov explains that he was talking with foreign journalists on the smartphone of a neighbor, as his gadget was broken. But at the same time, he went to his own WhatsApp account. “The last interview ended at about 21:40. At the same time, the police claims that the call about the bomb from the number of Igor entered the duty unit at 21:45. Some strange coincidence, ”he notes.

Both men were taken to the police department in Gatchina and interrogated until five in the morning.

“They pressed primarily on Igor. They said the same thing all the time: “Admit, admit, admit” - in all sorts of frets. Admit that you were joking that they were drunken. But we had nothing to admit. Detailing of calls shows that no calls to the police were made from the phone. Everything continued the next day, as we were obliged to appear by 10 in the morning. We arrived home, slept for two hours and drove back. And what to do if the agenda. The same thing continued there. Six operatives and two interrogators were already involved. All in one way kept saying "admit." Some kind of nonsense. The inquiry officers decided for a long time by what part of Article 207 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (“knowingly false message about the act of terrorism”) the case would be opened. They called the authorities, consulted what to do. But there was no evidence, and we were forced to let us go. But before that, Igor was taken away from Igor and forced to sign the paper about the appeal on the call, ”says Mindiarov.

Former employees of the Troll Factory are sure that the incident has not come to naught: “I know that I am not doing anything criminal. I say the same as three years ago. But what will happen next, the question is open. The methods that our police resort to is impossible to exclude. There are fears that they can do with me in a terrible way, for example, drugs will be thrown. In such a situation, a person is helpless, he is left alone with the power machine. ”