--- title: Photos of the Memes Russia Spread to Influence Election 2016 description: House Democrats on a key intelligence committee Wednesday released ads that Russian-backed groups distributed through social media. canonical: https://time.com/5006056/russia-election-2016-memes/ author: Ashley Hoffman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-11-01T20:21:35.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:46:24.031Z og:title: Here Are the Memes that Russian Operatives Shared to Influence 2016 og:description: See the photos Russian-backed groups spread intended to stoke tension og:url: https://time.com/5006056/russia-election-2016-memes/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd77d533298440f2a/6988e425bc6cfc32893e3c25/gettyimages-868974964.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4000 og:image:height: 2250 og:image:alt: Facebook, Twitter And Google Executives Testify Before The Senate Intelligence Committee og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Here Are the Memes that Russian Operatives Shared to Influence 2016 twitter:description: See the photos Russian-backed groups spread intended to stoke tension twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd77d533298440f2a/6988e425bc6cfc32893e3c25/gettyimages-868974964.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Here Are the Memes that Russian Operatives Shared to Influence 2016 > Sponsored content. 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Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically. by [Ashley Hoffman](https://time.com/author/ashley-hoffman/) ## Ashley Hoffman Nov 1, 2017 8:21 PM UTC  A display showing a social media post stands during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on social media influence in the 2016 U.S. elections in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Wednesday, A display showing a social media post stands during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on social media influence in the 2016 U.S. elections in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Wednesday, Bloomberg—Bloomberg via Getty Images by [Ashley Hoffman](https://time.com/author/ashley-hoffman/) ## Ashley Hoffman Nov 1, 2017 8:21 PM UTC [Russian operatives](http://time.com/4783932/inside-russia-social-media-war-america/) created a variety of low-budget graphics and videos as part of their attempts to influence Americans on [social media during the 2016 presidential election](http://time.com/4930532/facebook-russian-accounts-2016-election/). House Democrats on a key intelligence committee Wednesday released 14 ads from Russian-backed groups that were distributed through Facebook. Among other things, the ads show a Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders-themed coloring book for supporters and a father teaching his child to use a gun. They appear aimed at stoking tension among different groups of Americans, with ads appearing to build support for Sanders, while other ads sought to provoke concern about immigration and the media. Here’s a quick look at some of the ads that were distributed on online platforms as a part of the multilevel scheme.  Courtesy of U.S. House of Representatives.  Courtesy of U.S. House of Representatives.  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