Reddit's Largest Pro-Trump Subreddit Appears To Have Been Targeted By Russian Propaganda For Years
1 2018-09-25 by ShellOilNigeria
It appears that right-wing news websites funded by Russia’s Internet Research Agency have been aggressively targeting Reddit’s largest pro-Trump subreddit, /r/The_Donald, for over a year.
In a viral thread posted to /r/FuckTheAltRight last week, a user named DivestTrump laid out a staggering list of suspicious political content coming from a handful of domains. As Facebook and Twitter have become more active this year in tackling fake news, bots, and political bad actors, it has left Reddit as one of the few places where people are freely sharing links online. /r/The_Donald currently has over 600,000 subscribers and still acts as the pro-Trump world’s central hub for memes, talking points, and conspiracy theories.
The bulk of the investigation that was posted to /r/FuckTheAltRight focused on two suspicious domains: brutalist.press and usareally.com. Both domains were registered in Russia, both sites contain linguistic errors common with other Russia-affiliated sites, and both heavily targeted /r/The_Donald. Based on job listings posted online, brutalist.press appears to have been created in St. Petersburg in 2016. And usareally.com is owned by a member of a civil society institution called the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation.
The thread posted to /r/FuckTheAltRight was deleted and archived several hours after it was posted. It appears DivestTrump deleted his account after posting, which has only added to conspiracy theories from users about how Reddit might be dealing with allegations of Russian meddling on its most controversial subreddit. DivestTrump explained why he deleted his account in a subsequent post, writing, "I'm not interested in spending my time getting doxxed, death threats, brigades, witch hunts and general reddit vitriol for no good reason."
A spokesperson for Reddit told BuzzFeed News that the company had been in the final stages of investigating the domains listed in DivestTrump’s post when the thread was posted.
"We are continuing our investigation into suspicious content on Reddit and have taken action against several domains that break our site-wide policies," the spokesperson said. "We have dedicated teams that enforce our site-wide policies, proactively go after bad actors on the site, and create engineering solutions to prevent them in the future."
Brutalist.press submitted over 500 links to Reddit over the last year. The top two most upvoted links were both submitted to /r/The_Donald.
One was titled "Furious Formula 1 'Grid Girls' Who Were Fired From Their Jobs Say They've 'Lost Important Income Because Feminists Think They Know Best,'" which received 2,095 upvotes. The second most popular submission was titled "Chart showing how amnesty padded California's voting to Dems," which was upvoted 1,001 times.
Interestingly, Brutalist’s articles had very little engagement outside of Reddit. Its articles “DNA Testing Companies Like 23andme Admit Adding Fake African Ancestry To White Profiles In Order To ‘Screw With Racists’” and “Muslims Wreaking Havoc in Belgium” were the site’s most read of the last year, according to BuzzSumo data, with thousands of shares from Reddit but nothing from Facebook or Twitter.
Its most recent submission to Reddit was a link titled "After Two Wasted Years Trump Will Fire Sessions After Midterms," submitted to /r/TheNewRight.
Brutalist’s website no longer works, but its Twitter page is still live and gives a snapshot of the kind of content it was publishing. The account, which was auto-tweeting links to the site, stopped doing this the same day Brutalist stopped submitting links to Reddit, Aug. 24, 2018.
In the last few days, the account — which has 37,000 followers — has been retweeting a pro-Trump meme account called @BasedDemocrat.
Brutalist had a Russian IP address and was running on a server maintained by Yandex — an extremely popular Russian web services company. Brutalist's website and Facebook page are both down, but its Instagram and Twitter are still public.
Brutalist.press appears to have been created by a software developer from St. Petersburg named Alex Antonov in 2016. Antonov was listed as one of the site's main contributors.
His Twitter account retweeted a Brutalist tweet in 2017. He also tweeted at Brutalist's Twitter account three times in August and September of 2017.
And someone with the email address alex@brutalist.press posted a job listing on the Russian job board moikrug.ru in June of 2017. The listing is for a frontend developer who can speak technical English and be available for remote work with periodic trips to St. Petersburg. St. Petersburg is where Russia’s Internet Research Agency — or troll factory — was initially located.
BuzzFeed News has reached out to Antonov for comment.
The bulk of the Brutalist links have been submitted by accounts that have since been deleted, but three recent users were posting Brutalist links regularly over the last six months: WildlifePlanet, kjfriend2, and a now-deleted user named SgtPlumley.
SgtPlumley shared 16 USA Really articles to /r/The_Donald over the last 13 days using the URL shortener geotus.army. GEOTUS is an acronym for "God Emperor of the United States," a common nickname on Reddit for President Trump. SgtPlumley also shared three USA Really articles with the URL shortener geotus.band.
Five articles were shared directly to Reddit, in subreddits like /r/TwoXChromosomes and /r/atheism. Three of the most recent links were posted in the last 10 days.
USA Really hasn’t been operating for very long and the majority of its articles don’t appear to be getting a lot of readers yet, but according to BuzzSumo, an article from August titled “Phenomenon of Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women Has Become an Epidemic in the US” was shared on Facebook almost 80,000 times.
The timing of USA Really links appearing on Reddit also coincides with Brutalist’s website going down. USA Really links started showing up on Reddit about a week after Brutalist stopped publishing.
USA Really is working on an IP address located in Missouri, but its domain is registered in Russia. Its LinkedIn page lists it as an online media business operating out of Moscow. The LinkedIn has one employee listed, Dmitry Kukushkin. Kukushkin's profile only includes his work at USA Really. A Facebook profile for him exists but offers no additional information. It includes the same photo and its only activity appears to be sharing USA Really articles.
In August, the same week that Brutalist links stopped being shared on Reddit, a member of the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation named Alexander Malkevich told Yahoo News that he was the chief editor of USA Really and wanted to use the site to prove that the “deep state is real.”
According to Malkevich's interview, when it first launched, USA Really was banned from Facebook almost immediately. “I can’t understand why in six hours of our launch, Facebook banned our account,” Malkevich said. “We have three or four posts, and we have zero subscribers.”
USA Really's Facebook is now back online. Also, Malkevich is Facebook friends with the Dmitry Kukushkin profile.
According to an AP story from July, USA Really’s Moscow office is in the same building as the Federal News Agency, which is allegedly run by Putin ally Yevgeny Prigozhin, who is also in charge of the Internet Research Agency.
Malkevich told the AP that USA Really's funding comes from the Federal News Agency. “I absolutely don’t understand this spy mania,” he said at the time.
Over the weekend, a Reddit Admin wrote that four domains included in DivestTrump's post have been banned, the custom URL shorteners geotus.army and geotus.band, UsaReally.com, and Brutalist.press.
54 comments
1 cerebral_scrubber 2018-09-25
Do people realize just how insignificant this is? These Russian propaganda posts account for roughly 1/20th of one percent of all posts to the_donald over the timeline of two years.
You would think for such reactions it would be at least somewhat significant. The overreaction by the media here, and Redditors when it broke, is more of a conspiracy than the submissions. Then again sheople have never excelled at thinking for themselves.
1 JulianAsausage 2018-09-25
They're also making comments.
I think it's worth discussing at least instead of sweeping it under the David Brock.
1 send_recipes_plz 2018-09-25
A lot of folks don't even bother with the top post. They read the title, then either hit the thread with a drive-by vote or dive straight into the comments.
Comments that are relatively short and which hit at your morals and your emotions are all extremely effective.
1 JulianAsausage 2018-09-25
I wish I had archived /u/SgtPlumley's profile because his broken English comments were such obvious trolling after I found out he was in St Petersburg.
1 cerebral_scrubber 2018-09-25
Hardly. It’s such an insignificant number of posts it really means nothing.
And it’s been discussed, now the propaganda is being repeated so the ‘truth’ will sink in.
1 JulianAsausage 2018-09-25
Ok, carry on citizen, nothing to see here!
1 cerebral_scrubber 2018-09-25
To think what issues you could come up with if you only needed to show .0048% of a group met your requirements. It’s a joke.
1 JulianAsausage 2018-09-25
You're fixated on the posts. Yes they were pretty ineffectual however as I said in my first reply to you the comments they make are far more effective at seeding and fomenting their targets.
1 cerebral_scrubber 2018-09-25
Alright, how many comments did they make and we can figure out what percentage of comments it would be to get the big picture that will show us beyond any doubt this is significant by any measure.
1 JulianAsausage 2018-09-25
I don't have access to that data but the one I saw had made comments in many threads on t_d
1 cerebral_scrubber 2018-09-25
So you’re suggesting I not focus on the data available and instead focus on your anecdotal evidence?
1 JulianAsausage 2018-09-25
It's pretty clear you're focused on not worrying about Russian disinformation agents so why don't you carry on not caring about Russia disinformation agents.
1 cerebral_scrubber 2018-09-25
I’m not really worried about anything that’s as insignificant as this, and like I said before the fact this has gained so much traction is the bigger conspiracy.
This investigation has gained more shares, upvotes, and attention than all these propaganda posts combined. Something to think about...
1 JulianAsausage 2018-09-25
Wow thanks I'll go and have a big think about that.
1 cerebral_scrubber 2018-09-25
You probably need buzzfeed or some other media to tell you to...
1 JulianAsausage 2018-09-25
Could I borrow your big brain? You sure sound stable and genius like!
1 cerebral_scrubber 2018-09-25
I know, I’m the asshole for pointing it all out.
1 JulianAsausage 2018-09-25
Don't be so hard on yourself.
1 cerebral_scrubber 2018-09-25
I didn’t want you to have to break the sub rules, I did you a big favor.
1 random_ignoramus 2018-09-25
Sounds good. Keep the tin foil bud.
1 workwork_workwork 2018-09-25
Do you really think people will be swayed back so easily? When proof of Q being a LARP (that is possibly already out) is available, do you think everyone there will let the "truth" sink in or double down on their beliefs? Why would T_D be different?
1 cerebral_scrubber 2018-09-25
Swayed back to what exactly? I’m okay comparing people who run wild with this report to Q followers.
1 HGpennypacker 2018-09-25
Spoken like a true the_donald visitor. Cheers, comrade.
1 cerebral_scrubber 2018-09-25
Sorry if you don’t like the statistics.
1 macronius 2018-09-25
I like the fact that the Russians are telling us things that compensate for things the CIA is telling us 10 x times more.
1 The-SaltLife 2018-09-25
100%
1 EnoughNoLibsSpam 2018-09-25
I like the part where the USA whines about Russian interference in US elections, when the USA literally installed L Paul Bremer as a puppet dictator in Iraq, based on nothing but lies lies lies
1 yellowsnow2 2018-09-25
No one claims British propaganda when people link to the BBC. I don't see why this is any different. There are going to be news sources from different countries and they are going to have their own biases..
1 Draculea 2018-09-25
By Reddit's own admission, PoliticalHumor had more pro-left russian bot accounts posting than T_D did. Yet somehow, the focus is on the 200 accounts in T_D.
Hell, Bad cop no donut had more russian bot accounts riling up people on the left.
1 AmericanAnarchy 2018-09-25
All this for 2k upvotes and 1k upvotes. It sounds eerily reminiscent of the Hillary loss due to the fake Russian propaganda on facebook--which ended up being a super minuscule amount of likes and shares. pathetic meme
1 JulianAsausage 2018-09-25
I called out the IRA account /u/SgtPlumley right here on this sub!
https://www.reddit.com/r/conspiracy/comments/9fr0im/z/e5yjg4m
So close to the action lol
1 ShellOilNigeria 2018-09-25
Nice!
1 JulianAsausage 2018-09-25
I say called out... I didn't realise at the time it was an actual troll but happy to have my suspicions verified!
1 rodental 2018-09-25
Cool story brah
1 AIsuicide 2018-09-25
Does anyone have a link to the AP story that was published in July where this guy Malkevich is quoted?
1 JulianAsausage 2018-09-25
It's in the article
https://apnews.com/9f85e68cd7764c9080e9edba089a5c16
1 TheHeintzel 2018-09-25
You mean the sub that continually changes it's narrative to absolve Trump & Russia from any blame might be getting bombarded by pro-Russia propoganda?
I like your post & don't mean to come off as douchey to you, it's for the people who don't believe Russia is targeting the alt-right to divide our nation.
1 usuqmydiq 2018-09-25
Is it possible there are Americans that might hold opinions different than your own without the aid of Russia?
1 TheHeintzel 2018-09-25
Russia has well-documented efforts to do target right-wing political candidates and voters to divide their western adversaries. There are several confirmed statement by Russian politicians & documented propaganda agencies with the goal of doing this. These efforts as a whole have been going on for 50+ years.
I never gave my opinion, I'm saying people who deny endless amounts of verifiable evidence are the only people that should be surprised by OP's post.
1 armorkingII 2018-09-25
Russia paid for the anti-Trump protests too. They've manipulated Democrats throughout the Cold War and the KGB agents have said as much.
It begs the question why Russians on social media is more of an issue than the Chinese and Iranians on social media. The Chinese directly influence Hollywood. The Arabs Twitter. Israel and Britain....everything.
1 TheHeintzel 2018-09-25
Sure, like I said these "dividing western nations" efforts as a whole have been going on for 50+ years. Maybe I wasn't clear, but they're interested in all corruptible political candidates but right now alt-right parties are generally biting.
Because right now it seems like Russians have done better actually flipping the politicians. China/Iran/NorthKorea/etc are still a major concerns, they just don't get the clicks & comments right now
1 armorkingII 2018-09-25
Biting on what? I'm a Republican. Most Republicans are foreign policy hawks still and many are still Cold Warriors. It was the Obama administration that let Putin run wild, not the "alt-right".
Trump and his base views Russia as a lesser priority than China, who is more of a long term strategic and economic threat than Russia.
1 TheHeintzel 2018-09-25
The details are still coming out, but with 10+ indictments and 5+ plea deals we're probably gonna find out. But it seems like a few people have taken some 'quid-pro-quo" bait with current or former Russians, details coming soon I guess!
Then you haven't watched several of our most popular conspiracy videos. There's so much good dirt with Bush 1, Nixon, Bush 2, and Trump administrations it blows my mind that people in this sub are REP. Not saying you should be DEM, but yikes
Ah you must be a republican: It's Obama's fault and no one else's! You can know you can be neither DEM or REP right, right?
Well I'm glad that Trump & his base are beating China with outsourcing jobs, more corporate & elite tax breaks, and skyrocketing the national debt with bright hats made in China. We sure are showing them!
1 armorkingII 2018-09-25
There is nothing there regarding Russia and Trump or his voters. It was an invented scandal to make excuses for Hillary (and the GOP in the primaries) choking the election.
Russia did extend its influence under Obama. This cannot be denied. Every enemy of the US was stronger under Obama--Russia, China, Iran, North Korea, and ISIS. Our allies got weaker with a broken EU.
1 TheHeintzel 2018-09-25
Lots of indictments & guilty pleas & money exchanges & changing narratives for a made up scandal. But Trump changed it to 'never happened' to 'collusion isn't illegal', so try to keep up!
Please put together a constructive argument on how any of those countries are weaker and/or we are stronger. Looking at the relevant economies & nuclear programs, it seems like the only country weaker is us... but then again anyone who took ECON101 expected this
1 darthhayek 2018-09-25
Republican = Bush lol
1 usuqmydiq 2018-09-25
How is it do you suppose they are targeting the "right-wing"? Is it possible that the "right-wing" has formed ideas of their own without the help of "Russians"?
What would the implications be if they were targeting the "left-wing"? Would that de-legitimize any particular idea that happened to be retweeted by a "Russian"?
I think most in this sub are all too aware. In fact, here's the sub classic, Yuri Bezmenov, discussing how Russia targets the left to best accomplish its goals. Maybe times have changed though.
1 TheHeintzel 2018-09-25
Ramping up major social issues that are mostly unpopular in western nations but popular with the alt right? Meetings & possible bribery & attempted hacks of voting machines to get the politicians elected that energize specific voter bases?
I fully assume they're also attempting to influence the extreme-left to increase the chaos. The problem is the left is both anti-right and anti-Russia, so I'd be curious their strategy for getting them on Russia's side
Well yea, 30 years ago both sides were anti-Russia and social rights weren't anywhere near as big of a focus. I mean Russia's not dumb, they're gonna continually change their tactics if they can better achieve their goal.
1 usuqmydiq 2018-09-25
By this I assume you mean Europe? Which sorts of social issues do you think are being brought up by Russian propaganda?
I assume this is true for both sides, across the board, from multiple nations. There is never just one.
1 EnoughNoLibsSpam 2018-09-25
Thanos did nothing wrong
Remember how Reddit was recently "manipulated" by an advertising campaign?
This "Russian interference" campaign was so effective... that it took years to figure out?
1 ThatCoconut 2018-09-25
Reddits's largest politics sub has been infested with bots and shills for years. At this point I just ignore them all as paid for sockpuppets. I come here for the shitposts
1 JulianAsausage 2018-09-25
I wish I had archived /u/SgtPlumley's profile because his broken English comments were such obvious trolling after I found out he was in St Petersburg.
1 JulianAsausage 2018-09-25
It's pretty clear you're focused on not worrying about Russian disinformation agents so why don't you carry on not caring about Russia disinformation agents.