Ex-Kremlin Internet 'troll' wins damages from Putin propaganda 'factory'

A court in Russia has awarded symbolic damages of one ruble ($0.01) to a former "Kremlin troll" who sued her ex-employer and demanded closure of what she describes as a "factory" that has been churning out Internet propaganda defending Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In an interview in April, Lyudmila Savchuk told The Associated Press how she and hundreds of colleagues in St. Petersburg managed several social media accounts, flooding the Internet with pro-Putin commentary and doctored images that landed on Russian and Western news websites.

The Petrogradsky district court on Tuesday set the damages at just one ruble as the plaintiff requested. Savchuk said she was happy with the ruling because her mission to "prove the fact that the trolls existed" has been accomplished.