How Putin's Russian goon squad used Mexican gig workers to troll an American election

Sat, 02/18/2023 - 07:00

a photo collage featuring the image of Yevgeny Prigozhin with background elements from an US voting application and the colors of the Mexican flag — The Wagner Group is a private company in name only. A trove of leaked documents demonstrate that it is best understood as an arm of the Russian state.
Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images; iStock; #WagnerLeaks; Rebecca Zisser/Insider

In March 2020, a freelance writer in Mexico City was browsing the internet at home when he saw an ad for a self-described "social media" company that was looking for writers to post messages online. The company didn't appear to have a name. Instead, there was a WhatsApp number and an address for an account on an encrypted email service. "Fluent English is a must," the ad emphasized.