Russian ads on Facebook: A sample gallery
The House Intelligence Committee on Thursday released all the ads purchased by accounts tied to Russia's Internet Research Agency -- more than 3,000 ads bought between late 2015 and 2017.
The ads run the gamut, touching on police violence, the second amendment, immigration and the environment. Others appear to be apolitical, sharing individual success stories, extolling support for black-owned businesses or sharing memes.
"There's no question that Russia sought to weaponize social media platforms to drive a wedge between Americans, and in an attempt to sway the 2016 election," Rep. Adam Schiff, D.-California, said in statement, adding that the online campaign was an effort to divide Americans "by our race, by our country of origin, by our religion and by our political party."
Read on to see a sample of ads that ran on Facebook and other social media platforms.
This ad, which ran between Sept. 23 and Oct. 1, 2016, was targeted at people in Pennsylvania who were coal miners or interested in Donald Trump or manufacturing. It cost 7,120 rubles ($115) and reached 7,000 people.
Here is the full ad text:
America has always been hinged on hard-working people. If you remove jobs, you'll remove our country from the world map. The state of Pennsylvania rose owing to multiple enterprises mining coal, producing steel, and creating the need for other jobs, groceries, doctors, dentists, insurance, gas, vehicles, mechanics and the list goes on. As far as Mr. Trump pursues the goal of creating more jobs and supports the working class. He said he would put miners back to work. We could help Mr. Trump win Pennsylvania which is a battleground state. We'd like to organize a rally "Miners for Trump" in Pennsylvania.
Have something against coal industries? Please note then that burning coal is not more harmful than lumber. Alternative energy is only possible when subsidized by government for it is not lucrative. You cannot leave tens of thousands of people without a job just because of lobbyists' interests.
The current list of locations is being elaborated. Suggested cities are Erie, Pittsburg, Scranton, Harrisburg, Allentown, and Philly.
Confirmed locations:
Marconi Plaza, Philadelphia. Miners for Trump: Unity day in Pennsylvania
This advertisement ran in May 2017, garnering 5,000 page views. It cost only 500 rubles, or about $8, according to data released by Congress.
BlackMatters US was one of several accounts purporting to represent grassroots movements that were taken down last year for their connections to Russia.
A number of these ads ran in April 2017. According to the documents released by Congress, they received zero clicks.
This ad ran for three days in February 2016 and reached 977 people. It references the killing of Tamir Rice, the 12-year-old black boy who was shot by a policeman in Cleveland two years prior.
The account behind the ad, Williams & Kalvin, was suspended from YouTube last year for its connections to Russian propaganda.
This Instagram ad, created in April 2016, targeted 13-to-44-year-olds who were interested in Bernie Sanders. It reached 27,300 people at a cost of $49.
"Being Patriotic" shared this event in a promoted post that got just one click. It cost 55 rubles -- less than a dollar.
This ad ran in late October 2016, getting 1,200 clicks.
This ad, created April 13, 2016, reached one person, according to congressional documents.
Versions of this ad ran for one month in the summer of 2016. It targeted Americans of all age groups who were interested in "Liberalism or Libertarianism."
About one-tenth of the ads Congress released were redacted.