With its whimsical name and profile picture of Cate Blanchett as Galadriel from the “Lord of the Rings” movie franchise, the Facebook page of the Czech Elves looks like yet another internet meme. But, while Tolkien’s fictional characters fought the Orcs of Mordor, this volunteer army battles real-life trolls. 

First appearing in October 2018, the Elves are dedicated to rooting out and debunking Russian propaganda, misinformation and fake news in the Czech Republic. Inspired by counter-disinformation movements in the Baltic states, their ranks include people from all walks of life — from doctors and students to members of the military.

“We seek to combat the influence of foreign actors in Czech cyberspace,” Vit Kučík, an official spokesperson for the group said, via email. “By foreign, we primarily mean Russian — other countries do not play much of a role here.”

While trolls in Baltic nations such as Estonia and Lithuania tend to target institutions head on, such as by hacking the Vilnius bureau of the Baltic News Service in April 2017 , their tactics in the Czech Republic are more subtle. Rather than launching frontal attacks, the aim is to spread anti-western and anti-European Union sentiments among the population.