Russian President Vladimir Putin has an army of professional trolls flooding the internet with pro-Russian propaganda . Vladimir Putin has an army of professional trolls running thousand of fake Twitter and Facebook accounts to flood social media with pro-Russia propaganda . 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 do n'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 . The comments must make Putin appear in a more favourable light compared with his western counterparts . Mr Burkhard , who now works as a blogger , quit after two months slaving away at his keyboard . ' I decided I ca n't engage in absurd work , ' he said , according to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty . 'To keep going did n'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 . ' Mr Burkhard compared his time at Russia 's troll factory to the Ministry of Truth in George Orwell 's 1984 .
Army of professional trolls running fake accounts for Vladimir Putin . Workers are reportedly paid £500 a month for exhausting 12-hour shifts . Told they must bombard sites with more than 130 comments a day . Staff not allowed to talk to each other or form friendships .