55 Savushkina Street, St Petersburg, said to be the headquarters of Russia’s ‘troll army’. Photograph: Shaun Walker for the Guardian

Shaun Walker, The Guardian: Salutin' Putin: inside a Russian troll house

Just after 9pm each day, a long line of workers files out of 55 Savushkina Street, a modern four-storey office complex with a small sign outside that reads “Business centre”. Having spent 12 hours in the building, the workers are replaced by another large group, who will work through the night.

The nondescript building has been identified as the headquarters of Russia’s “troll army”, where hundreds of paid bloggers work round the clock to flood Russian internet forums, social networks and the comments sections of western publications with remarks praising the president, Vladimir Putin, and raging at the depravity and injustice of the west.

WNU Editor: Welcome to the new age of propaganda and disinformation. Is it effective .... probably for the low information consumer .... but for those who take the time to consume and understand the news .... I fail to see how they can have an impact. On a personal note .... I have seen these trolls in Russian forums .... and they are not effective ... at least to me. As to the possibility that this this blog has been specifically targeted .... I do not know. I have structured this blog to a Western audience .... and the reason why is simple .... I want to work on my English. I primarily use Western news outlets (that I always identify) .... and when I do get make a comment .... I try my best to make it very clear that this is just my opinion. As a result my traffic from places like Russia and Ukraine is small .... but once in a while I do get an anonymous comment that is (fill in the blank).

Update: Someone just emailed me this .... it appears that some in the U.S. are employing more sophisticated means via through Twitter to send a message or shape an opinion .... How Radical Leftists Use Psychological Twitter Tricks to Make Themselves Look Like the Majority (Rush Limbaugh).