Why were the Russian Facebook ads so strange?

Last week, as Facebook testified before Congress about Russian meddling in the 2016 election, committees released the first batch of Kremlin-linked ads that ran on the platform. They were much weirder than anyone expected. There was plenty of straightforward political button-pushing, of course — the groups put forth both faux-Black Lives Matter and gun rights campaigns — but some of the ads were harder to explain. One ad put forward a Speedo-clad Bernie Sanders, lifted from a real-life picture book. Another showed a Hillary-supporting Satan preparing to arm-wrestle Jesus Christ.

This is not what we expect from a foreign propaganda campaign. There is no call to vote for a given candidate, and despite widespread concerns over fake news,...

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