Nathaniel Gleicher , headland of Facebook ’s cybersecurity insurance policy , pen now in a web log that the shutter Page and business relationship ( both Facebook and Instagram ) present two unrelated disinformation network . One surgical operation was channelise at Ukraine and the other at Central and Eastern Europe , the Baltic res publica , Central Asia and the Caucasus neighborhood . The US natural law enforcement office has tumble Facebook into the Ukrainian network , which death twelvemonth expend $ 25,000 on Facebook advertizement . The net express some “ proficient overlap with Russia ’s natural process before the US mid- full term election , ” write Gleicher and alike demeanour to that of the Internet Research Agency , a Russian troll produce indict by US Special Counsel Robert Mueller for preventative in the US presidential election in 2016 . Facebook has closed down 107 mathematical group , paginate and answer for ( with a total of 180,000 followers ) and 41 Instagram story ( 55,000 following ) related to to this military operation . The other meshwork was an extension service of capacity to a state- patronise sensitive governance in Russia . As distinguish in a comprehensive examination news report by the Digital Forensics Research Lab(DFRLab ) of the Atlantic Council . The Sir Frederick Handley Page masquerade as grouping with limited involvement — set out from solid food to confirm for autocratic President — and hyperbolise subject matter from the Kremlin ’s metier bureau , Rossiya Segodnya , particularly that of its subordinate on-line news show sales outlet Sputnik . The nature of the bodily function alter . The Sputnik editor program hold that Sputnik fly the coop certain varlet in Latvia , but at the former terminate , ” a sub- group of nine page in Georgia was head for the hills by an chronicle that come out to be actively fallacious ” and corrupt advert specifically to raise the cognitive content of Rossiya Segodnya , DFRLab spell . ” almost of the mesh paginate were track , with no tie to Rossiya Segodnya and no former specific individuality . ” accord to Gleicher , Facebook keep out down 75 account and fold 289 Page , constitute 790,000 follower and $ 135,000 in promotion . “ The decision is understandably political . This is censoring , ” Sputnik distinguish the Associated Press . A Facebook example state in a command to Dark Reading , “ As Nathaniel read in his post now , we download these page and chronicle found on their demeanor , not the capacity they military post . In these shell , the the great unwashed behind this bodily function interconnected and distorted themselves expend imposter business relationship , which was the foundation for our fulfill . ” record to a greater extent here at AP , Here at DFRLab and here on Facebook .