The State of Affairs in Russia

[Syt]

Putin is starting to go off on the Gaidar? Guess it has to do with going shirtless all the time.

Actually, the guy who came up with the "gay propaganda" law in Russia has now suggested making it illegal to go topless in public (except where it's appropriate like at the beach).

[KRonn]

Maybe next time Russia should initiate a reset with the US and West.   

[The Minsky Moment]

I'm reading his history of Russia, very interesting.

Meaning Gaidar, you adolescents.

[Crazy_Ivan80]

Maybe next time Russia should initiate a reset with the US and West.   

wouldn't that require they either nuke or sterilise themselves?

[Barrister]

Really interesting article on paid Russian trolls on the internet.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/07/magazine/the-agency.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=mini-moth&region=top-stories-below&WT.nav=top-stories-below

[Malthus]

Really interesting article on paid Russian trolls on the internet.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/07/magazine/the-agency.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=mini-moth&region=top-stories-below&WT.nav=top-stories-below

That's a great read. Thanks for posting it. 

[The Larch]

Indeed, the final twist is worthy of a spy novel.

[celedhring]

I must have seen that twist in a couple dozen movies! Ridiculous stuff.

The whole fake chemical accident episode is slightly scary too.

[derspiess]

The fake video they link to of a black woman in Atlanta supposedly being shot is hilarious.  Would like to see the extended cut, with more dancing and hilariously fake accents.

[KRonn]

Really interesting article on paid Russian trolls on the internet.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/07/magazine/the-agency.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=mini-moth&region=top-stories-below&WT.nav=top-stories-below

The US must close the trolling gap with Russia!! 

[Eddie Teach]

The US must close the trolling gap with Russia!! 

Now there's a jobs program that would work beautifully.

[DGuller]

The thing is that it's not that funny.  Russians understand that informational wars can be just as effective as real warfare, and by being able to snow the social media, they've pulled off a Pearl Harbor.  The fact that they're finally being unmasked doesn't really solve anything, because their objective is to confuse first and fool second.  I sure hope that somewhere out there, NSA or some other agency is working diligently on that threat, and figuring out how it can be countered.

[Malthus]

The thing is that it's not that funny.  Russians understand that informational wars can be just as effective as real warfare, and by being able to snow the social media, they've pulled off a Pearl Harbor.  The fact that they're finally being unmasked doesn't really solve anything, because their objective is to confuse first and fool second.  I sure hope that somewhere out there, NSA or some other agency is working diligently on that threat, and figuring out how it can be countered.

My impression from the article is that the main target isn't the West (though that is a nice bonus), it is ... people in Russia. Russian tactics appear to be aimed firstly at blocking Russian activists' use of the 'net, by pre-empting them with trollish bullshit in Russia itself. Not sure there is anything really that can be done about that.

[KRonn]

The US must close the trolling gap with Russia!! 

Now there's a jobs program that would work beautifully.

Do you mean that or are you just...trolling?   

[The Minsky Moment]

The thing is that it's not that funny.  Russians understand that informational wars can be just as effective as real warfare, and by being able to snow the social media, they've pulled off a Pearl Harbor. 

A couple thousand people died at Pearl Harbor with huge losses in capital ships and aircraft.  That hardly compares with an freelancer getting trolled on the internet, and some people in Louisiana getting spooked over a fake chemical accident.