So, everyone realizes that the current attacks and counter-attacks about who did the bombings are exactly what Russian active measures exploit. Jump in with bots, trolls, hidden and not-so-hidden lackeys, take all sides of an issue, attack the other sides, and cause chaos and confusion.
And if you think, oh Bob, you crazy conspiracy nut, I suggest you read the criminal complaint against Elena Alekseevna Khusyaynova, because that’s exactly what it describes.
Members of the Conspiracy took advantage of specific events in the United States to anchor their themes, including the shootings of church members in Charleston, South Carolina, and concert attendees in Las Vegas, Nevada; the Charlottesville “Unite the Right” rally and associated violence; police shootings of African-American men; as well as the personnel and policy decisions of the current U.S. administration.
Members of the Conspiracy were directed to create “political intensity through supporting radical groups, users dissatisfied with [the] social and economic situation and oppositional social movements.” The Conspiracy also sought, in the words of one member of the Conspiracy, to “effectively aggravate the conflict between minorities and the rest of the population.”
The Conspirators’ activities did not exclusively adopt one ideological viewpoint; they wrote on topics from varied and sometimes opposing perspectives.