Congress released some of the Facebook ads linked to Russian operatives in the run-up to last year's presidential election, and they reveal a concerted effort to divide the US and vilify Hillary Clinton.

The ads targeted different cross-sections of the US population and often citizens at opposite sides of the political spectrum.

Rep. Adam Schiff, the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, released the trove on Wednesday before a hearing with Facebook, Google, and Twitter.

"Whether the Russians and Trump coordinated these efforts, we do not yet know, but it is true that the Russians mounted what could be described as an independent expenditure campaign on Trump’s behalf," Schiff said.

"The Russians did so by weaving together fake accounts, pages, and communities to push politicized content and videos, and to mobilize real Americans to sign online petitions and join rallies and protests," Schiff said.

Some of the ads portrayed Clinton as an ally of Satan, promoted a US burqa ban, and hailed Trump as the "one and only who can defend the police from terrorists."

Take a look at the divisive ads below.