The Impact of Yevgeny Prigozhin's Death on Putin's Propaganda Network
Despite the clampdown on Yevgeny Prigozhin's information operations network and his reported death, a network of Russian-language Twitter accounts pushing pro-Russia and pro-Putin narratives has emerged. These accounts exhibit the same characteristics as Prigozhin's troll operations, including following each other and amplifying Kremlin lines. While some accounts have been taken down, others remain active, focusing on promoting pro-Kremlin narratives, defending Russian air defense capabilities, and spreading disinformation about Ukraine. The network's pro-Putin leanings align with a switch observed in Russian troll networks earlier this year. The rapid succession and coordinated overlap of posts suggest that the troll network receives guidance on specific topics and narrative spin. The accounts appear to be operated either manually by different people or using automation and scripts.