Trump faces digital backlash after Putin critique goes viral

• Pro-Kremlin bots: Following Donald Trump's criticism of Vladimir Putin, bots associated with the Kremlin began targeting the American President on social media.
• Change in tone: Analysts from the Botnadzor project noted that comments previously neutral towards Trump became more critical.
• Kremlin's reaction: Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov described Trump's words as a sign of "emotional overload."

On Sunday, after the Russian mass drone attack on Ukraine, Donald Trump criticized Vladimir Putin, calling him "insane." The U.S. President wrote on his social media channel, Truth Social, that the Russian leader had completely lost it. In response, pro-Kremlin bots on social media began attacking Trump.

One bot wrote that it's not Putin who's insane, it's Trump. It seems to be hereditary for all U.S. presidents - a chair and dementia as a gift. Another referred to Trump as a "clown".

The change in tone in the comments was observed by analysts from the Botnadzor project, who monitor troll activity in Russia.

Independent Russian media, like Novaya Gazeta.Europe, noticed that pro-Kremlin media remained silent on Trump's criticism of Putin but focused on his comments about Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov commented on Trump's remarks as a sign of "emotional overload at a crucial moment".

Accounts on the VK platform, which operate in the interests of the Kremlin, initially commented on Trump in a neutral manner. However, following his criticism of Putin, the tone changed. On Monday, pro-Kremlin bots published about a thousand comments on over 150 posts mentioning Trump's name. This demonstrates how quickly and aggressively they can respond to criticism from foreign leaders.