In this instance, I'm talking specifically about Trump, but Russia's influence on Europe is also undeniable, though not always as crystal clear. They have their own people in the European parliaments and intelligence from the likes of Schröder, in addition to paying the likes of Le Pen, running the troll factories, creating fake news, and so forth.

I think it's rarely done as a direct order. More often than not, it's a combination of all those things, best illustrated by when the Russian government and its trolls paid for Facebook ads and pretended to be American activists, getting people inside America out to protest for both guns rights and against them, as well as for BLM and for the likes of Trump. They've done the same in Africa and other regions. One of the goals is to create division not only to weaken but also to use domestically, as Putin's justification for his "strong hand" leadership has often been to point at the "chaotic" and "soulless" West and ask if the population wants the same in Russia.