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Here is that silly article from Kommersant.

After reading it I don't think it should be taken seriously (it's not your NSA or CIA, Russia doesn't have the kind of people right now that would take a project like this seriously and not just steal the money).

My quick translation:

Kommersant's sources say that the intelligence agency started a number of programs, with code names 'Storm-12', 'Monitor-3' and 'Dispute' back in January-February of 2012. The idea is to create following programs:

1. To investigate methods of intelligence gathering from Internet providers and data centres and social networks (code name 'Dispute' at 4.41 million rubles).

2. To investigate methods of 'silent management within the Internet' (code name 'Monitor' at 4.99 million rubles).

3. To conduct a scientific type of research in order to develop 'means of pushing special information within social networks' - this means astroturfing (code name 'Storm-12' at 22.8 million rubles).

The three projects are interdependent, the plan is to monitor the Internet and social networks with the 'Dispute' system, which is supposed to 'research processes of social network formation and information dissemination within them' as well as 'establishing the factors that are responsible for the increasing influence and dissemination of information', basically trying to figure out why some information becomes more popular, how do things go viral as opposed to other things (I suggest they start by analysing LOLCAT videos for that).

Once the information is collected it is supposed to be analysed by 'Monitor-3', which is responsible for 'developing the methods of organisation and management of the Internet virtual social networks by using experts, setting tasks, controlling the work of social media, regularly collecting information from the experts in their respective fields'. (Actually this part doesn't read well in Russian and translating something that is written so poorly and ambiguously in one language into another is not easy. This is part of the reason, except for the minuscule funds, why I wouldn't take this program seriously.)

Lastly, 'Storm-12' is then supposed to introduce managed information into the social networks based on the collected data. Its task is described very poorly and grammatically ambiguously as the following: 'development of special programming system of automated dissemination of information within large social networks. Organisation of information support structures into predefined scenarios in order to have a desired affect upon the mass audience of social networks.' The purpose of this 'virtual military' is described as 'mass dissemination of information messages within the (monitored) social networks, with existing user accounts, in order to shape public opinion. Aggregation of statistics and analysis of effectiveness of management of public opinion. Analysis of usefulness of the most popular social services as vectors of initialisation of information waves for directing the public opinion about various matters'.

Kommersan'ts sources say that in order to make the programs secret, the government passed the following bills: N1116-36 on 23 of December, 2011.

Supposedly the systems 'Monitor-3' and 'Dispute' will be ready in 2012 and 'Storm-12' will be ready in 2013'.

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and so on and so forth. I can tell you this much: this entire story reads like a bad spy thriller, it's just not plausible.

It is IMPOSSIBLE to do anything for that amount of money in Russia, with that much money they won't even be able to set up a server room, never mind paying the right people the right amounts of money to do any of this work. This is complete nonsense.

I am not saying that Russia is not doing something like this, in fact by

By the way, is this /. story a test of a kind? Because the link that says: "Google translation" literally leads to Google's translator page and nothing else.

I found the silly article from Kommersant that this story is about, here it is.

After reading it I don't think it should be taken seriously (it's not your NSA or CIA, Russia doesn't have the kind of people right now that would take a project like this seriously and not just steal the money).

My quick translation:

Kommersant's sources say that the intelligence agency started a number of programs, with code names 'Storm-12', 'Monitor-3' and 'Dispute' back in January-February of 2012. The idea is to create following programs:

1. To investigate methods of intelligence gathering from Internet providers and data centres and social networks (code name 'Dispute' at 4.41 million rubles).

2. To investigation methods of 'silent management within the Internet' (code name 'Monitor' at 4.99 million rubles).

3. To conduct a scientific type of research in order to develop 'means of pushing special information within social networks' - this means astroturfing (code name 'Storm-12' at 22.8 million rubles).

The three projects are interdependent, the plan is to monitor the Internet and social networks with the 'Dispute' system, which is supposed to 'research processes of social network formation and information dissemination within them' as well as 'establishing the factors that are responsible for the increasing influence and dissemination of information', basically trying to figure out why some information becomes more popular, how do things go viral as opposed to other things (I suggest they start by analysing LOLCAT videos for that).

Once the information is collected it is supposed to be analysed by 'Monitor-3', which is responsible for 'developing the methods of organisation and management of the Internet virtual social networks by using experts, setting tasks, controlling the work of social media, regularly collecting information from the experts in their respective fields'. (Actually this part doesn't read well in Russian and translating something that is written so poorly and ambiguously in one language into another is not easy. This is part of the reason, except for the minuscule funds, why I wouldn't take this program seriously.)

Lastly, 'Storm-12' is then supposed to introduce managed information into the social networks based on the collected data. Its task is described very poorly and grammatically ambiguously as the following: 'development of special programming system of automated dissemination of information within large social networks. Organisation of information support structures into predefined scenarios in order to have a desired affect upon the mass audience of social networks.' The purpose of this 'virtual military' is described as 'mass dissemination of information messages within the (monitored) social networks, with existing user accounts, in order to shape public opinion. Aggregation of statistics and analysis of effectiveness of management of public opinion. Analysis of usefulness of the most popular social services as vectors of initialisation of information waves for directing the public opinion about various matters'.

Kommersan'ts sources say that in order to make the programs secret, the government passed the following bills: N1116-36 on 23 of December, 2011.

Supposedly the systems 'Monitor-3' and 'Dispute' will be ready in 2012 and 'Storm-12' will be ready in 2013'.

--------

and so on and so forth. I can tell you this much: this entire story reads like a bad spy thriller, it's just not plausible.

It is IMPOSSIBLE to do anything for that amount of money in Russia, with that much money they won't even be able to set up a server room, never mind paying the right people the right amounts of money to do any of this work. This is complete nonsense.

I am not say

Link to story: http://www.kommersant.ru/doc/2009256

Interesting moments are as follows. There are three projects for which software has been requested. One is for "researching the methods of intelligence in Internet centers and regional segments of social networks", another is for "researching the unofficial methods of management on the Internet", and finally work on "methods for advancing special information in social networks". So essentially, it's figuring out how to make certain information popular on social networks, and figuring out the dynamics and largely emergent social structures within these networks. These are designed to work together, ultimately with the bots capable of "massive dissemination of information in specified social networks using existing user accounts, with the goal of forming the public opinion".

Given that the SVR is behind this, it's likely that the intent, at least originally, is to use this abroad, not within Russia. The article says so and quotes a source saying ex-USSR countries would be the first target. That bit certainly looks realistic given the geopolitical situation there, with Russia essentially being in a state of low-key information warfare versus some former Soviet states.

Is this it?
http://www.kommersant.ru/doc/2009256

Does anyone have the exact translation for what the guy really meant

I'm a native Russian speaker.

My first thought was that it is a mistranslation, but no, he really said precisely that.

By the way, the linked article is about something else, and simply includes that citation to illustrate the issue. The original source is this article, which dates back to September.

Bullshit.

Russian society is absolutely compatible with the Western model, and Western model is slowly being built. It _will_ take time, of course. Probably decades, but not generations. I'm certain of that.

For example, read this: http://www.hss.caltech.edu/~jlr/events/Icons%20versus%20Contracts.pdf
If you read Russian try this: http://www.kommersant.ru/doc.aspx?DocsID=1208915