How Russia's 'troll factory' runs thousands of fake Twitter and Facebook accounts

Hundreds of workers are paid £500 a month to work exhausting 12-hour shifts bombarding the internet with comments placing Putin in a more favourable light.

The trolls work under strict condition which see them banned from talking and even forging friendships with one another.  

One former worker at the Internet Research Centre - dubbed the Troll Factory - has lifted the lid on how employees must write more than 130 online posts a shift or face the sack.

Marat Burkhard explained how the operation, based in modern building in St Petersburg, is opened 24 hours a day and employees often work in teams of three.

'One of us would be the 'villain,' the person who disagrees with the forum and criticizes the authorities, in order to bring a feeling of authenticity to what we're doing, he told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

'The other two enter into a debate with him -- "No, you're not right; everything here is totally correct." 

 'We create the illusion of actual activity on these forums.'

Mr Burkhard revealed  how he and his fellow trolls got to work after a story broke about US President Barack Obama spitting his chewing gum out in India.

''You need to write 135 comments about this, and don't be shy about how you express yourself,' Mr Burkhard, reportedly said he was told.

''Write whatever you want, just stick the word Obama in there a lot and then cover it over with profanities." 

On another occasion he was told to repeatedly post on websites that the majority of German's supported Putin and his policies and were unhappy with Merkel. 

Inside the factory the trolls are not just targeting Russian sites but those around the world, including the UK. 

The trolls are often given five key words which they must make sure each of their posts are littered with. He claimed workers faced sanctions from manager if they were missing from their comments.

 Mr Burkhard, who now works as a blogger, quit after two months slaving away at his keyboard.

'I decided I can't engage in absurd work,' he said, according to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

'To keep going didn't make any sense - it's all absurd.

He compared his time at the Troll factory to the Ministry of Truth in George Orwell's 1984.

'You work in the Ministry of Truth, which is the Ministry of Lies, and everyone kind of believes in this truth.' 

(dailymail.co.uk)