There was an article posted here on HN detailing how this is performed. I'll see if I can dig up the article, but it had interviews with internet users paid by

There was an article posted here on HN detailing how this is performed. I'll see if I can dig up the article, but it had interviews with internet users paid by the Russian state to shape argument. A group of 2-3 would take opposing sites in creating an artificial argument on say, a forum where it was being discussed. The "Western" POV would be discredited, and the argument focused between differing "Russian" explanations. The argument would never actually cease or come to a conclusion, but re-center around a number of accepted conclusions.