Dr Maksim Markelov
Dr Maksim Markelov, Honorary Research Fellow
University of Manchester
Institution
University of Manchester
Research Areas
Maksim Markelov is an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Manchester. His research explores digital propaganda and state-aligned political astroturfing and trolling, with a focus on Russian digital public opinion influence operations across linguistic and geopolitical contexts. He has published on the evolution of digital propaganda, cross-lingual dynamics of political astroturfing, and emerging techniques of digital authoritarianism. Maksim has taught courses across linguistics, media, and political communication, and worked as a research associate on two major international projects on digital authoritarianism. He is currently based in Melbourne, Australia and investigating the dynamics of digital governance and resistance.
Key Publications
Journal Articles
| Amplifying doubt: How Russian trolls leveraged pandemic uncertainty for strategic gain (2025) | Markelov M |
| Beyond Disinformation: Identarian Narratives meet Authoritarian Practices, Lawfare & Marketcraft (2025) | Burchell K, Ross J, Tolz V, Yu S, Amundson J, Ding L, Forgacs H, Kindarji V, Korotaev R, Markelov M, Rodriguez S, Scarff S and Zabalueva A, with Hutchings S and Conduit D |
| Strategic Deception: Russian Trolls’ Attempts to Reframe the Annexation of Crimea for English- speaking Audiences on Twitter/X (2024) | Markelov M |
| I investigated millions of tweets from the Kremlin’s ‘troll factory’ and discovered classic propaganda techniques reimagined for the social media age. (2024) | Markelov M |