Russian trolls are believed to be targeting Boris Johnson from an old arms factory in St Petersburg as security officers warn Putin’s saboteurs could enter Britain.

According to the research funded by the UK Government, the Russian president’s regime is trying to manipulate public opinion on social media as well as in the comments sections of major media outlets.

Online operatives were found to be ordering followers to target Western publications and politicians, and spread support for the Ukraine invasion.

These include the social media accounts of Mr Johnson, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.

Bands and musicians including Daft Punk, David Guetta, Tiesto and Rammstein also appear to have been targeted by the disinformation operation.

Activities on Twitter and Facebook were detected, but were found to be particularly concentrated on Instagram, YouTube and TikTok, where influencers are being paid to amplify pro-Kremlin narratives.

It comes as senior MI5 officers warned the threat of Russian saboteurs entering Britain to carry out attacks on key infrastructure and politicians had increased.

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‘There is a serious concern that officers or agents attached to Russia’s security services may attempt to enter the UK and target strategic locations,’ one security source told The Express.

Researchers also found a key role in the misinformation network was being performed by a Telegram channel called ‘Cyber Front Z’, with the letter Z signifying Russian support for the war.

Its headquarters is allegedly located in rented space in St Petersburg’s Arsenal Machine-building Factory, a company that manufactures military equipment and technology.

Researchers say the group seems to have learned from the tactics used by QAnon conspiracy theorists and from the Islamic State terror group.

The troll farm is said to recruit and hire salaried workers openly, justifying the work as ‘patriotic activity’ in support of the ‘special military operation’ in Ukraine.

The analysis suggests one main activity is ‘brigading’, to steer attention of discussion on social media and in comments sections of newspapers to favoured opinions.

Manipulation of polls in Western media was also observed, including to skew the results of a survey on whether sanctions against Russia were supported.

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said: ‘We cannot allow the Kremlin and its shady troll farms to invade our online spaces with their lies about Putin’s illegal war.

‘The UK Government has alerted international partners and will continue to work closely with allies and media platforms to undermine Russian information operations.’

The Foreign Office was not identifying the researchers behind the work amid concerns over their safety for conducting work critical of the Russian president’s regime.

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