Putin’s Kremlin-bots are launching an assault on UK media outlets’ comment sections in attempts to shift public opinion, according to a new report by the University of Cardiff. 32 prominent news websites across 16 countries – including the Mail Online, The Express and The Times – have been flooded with pro-Russian state propaganda in desperate attempts to manipulate public opinion. Not the most effective place to start…

While the university’s report was unable to say definitively who was behind the posts, it claimed the actions were “indicative of a Russian state operation”, and although they didn’t put a figure on the total number of comments, it found evidence of the alleged influence operation in 242 articles published between February and mid-April. Incredibly, many of the pro-Putin comments were then picked up by a Russian state-linked website to claim Western support of their dear leader…