EUvsDisinfo: Another election, another Kremlin interference attempt
As the Bundestag elections on February 23 approach, the pro-Kremlin information manipulation network is conducting an intensive disinformation effort aimed at destabilizing the democratic process in Germany and shaping the election outcome to their liking.
A group of channels linked to the pro-Kremlin network of information manipulation and foreign interference attacked Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the Green Party and the CDU/CSU. The narratives blame these politicians and parties for Germany's economic problems and suggest that they cannot be trusted. In addition, the German-language edition of the leading Russian propaganda channel RT („Россия сегодня“) has restored its presence on the „X“ platform, despite being subject to international sanctions. These coordinated efforts are not isolated incidents, but part of a broader pro-Kremlin strategy to interfere in democratic processes in Europe.
„Laundering“ of information
A recent example of this is the fabricated investigation that the current German government was planning to legalize pedophilia. The absurd claim originated from the Prigozhin-linked Russian Foundation for Combating Injustice (R-FBI). The claim was spread through a network of Russian-linked websites, including fake news outlets and social media accounts. It reached hundreds of thousands of users on platforms such as Threads, Telegram and X. Such tactics involve information laundering to conceal the origin of the disinformation and increase its popularity. This fabricated claim was specifically targeted at the political parties Alliance 90/The Greens. and CDU/CSU, including targeting individual politicians from these parties, in an attempt to tarnish their reputation and undermine trust in them before the elections.
New Operation “Doppelganger“
In another case, smuggler domains – i.e. those whose URLs are spelled almost identically to the original ones – imitate reputable media outlets such as “Spiegel“ and are used to distribute fabricated articles critical of the main political parties in Germany. Manipulative fabrications such as “Green energy is choking German companies” and “Merz is covering up militarism with populism” were spread by inauthentic accounts and reached tens of thousands of views. This approach follows the well-known and documented pattern of the “Doppelganger” campaign, which relies on domain cloning and bot amplification to spread disinformation and abuse existing public trust in trusted media. The focus on economic and security issues suggests a deliberate effort to deepen discontent among German voters and polarize them.
Exploiting Fears and Division
In addition, another false claim has been widely circulated: that Germany is planning to bring 1.9 million Kenyan workers into the country. The disinformation narrative is designed to play on migration fears, cause division, and undermine trust in the current government. The narrative has been spread across a number of websites, Telegram channels, and X accounts linked to the pro-Kremlin network.
Although refuted by DPA fact checkers, the claim garnered significant popularity and millions of views on „X“ and other platforms. This disinformation campaign, like others related to „False Facade“ , uses a likely fabricated original story, fake content, and non-existent personalities to lend credibility to the hoax. The Kremlin exploits fears and other public vulnerabilities, creates false narratives and uses sophisticated techniques to effectively disseminate information. With all this, the Kremlin seeks to manipulate and polarize voters, shape the political environment and weaken European unity.
Other topics in this week's EUvsDisinfo roundup:
- The pro-Kremlin disinformation media is not particularly imaginative and is resorting to its old tactics - in this case, describing NATO's Operation Baltic Watch as a naval blockade aimed at cutting off Russia from the sea and provoking armed conflict. According to this false claim, NATO's presence in the Baltic Sea is a belligerent move disguised as an attempt to protect critical infrastructure. In reality, “Baltic Sentry“ is a defense initiative designed to protect major undersea cables and other critical infrastructure in the Baltic region. Following the damage to submarine cables between Estonia and Finland in December and earlier incidents, NATO launched this operation in response to tangible threats to maritime security. The alliance's efforts are fully in line with international law, especially the principle of freedom of navigation. The false narrative is yet another illustration of the Kremlin's way of operating: NATO presents itself as the aggressor, and Russia - as the victim. The Kremlin is grossly misrepresenting NATO’s goals, seeking to divert attention from Russia’s ongoing aggressive behavior and consolidate support for the regime at home by stoking unfounded fears of Western hostility.
- Kremlin mouthpieces are once again predicting a “freezing” in Europe in the future. Such apocalyptic imagery is spreading fear among EU citizens and weakening support for the sanctions imposed on Russia following its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. While it is true that Ukraine's decision to halt Russian gas transit and recent US sanctions on Russian oil tankers caused a short-lived spike in prices, Europe is far from facing an energy crisis. Thanks to strategic preparationand diversificationof energy sources, the EU remains well-prepared to meet its energy needs. By early January 2025 EU gas storage levels stand at 72%, slightly above the average for this time of year. The Kremlin's concerns are unfounded and illogical given the facts. The aim of this disinformation is clear: to undermine European unity and weaken public support for sanctions.
- It is clear that the Kremlin’s disinformation machine is tasked with claiming that Russia’s economy is booming and touting record-low unemployment, industrial growth, and incomes that are outpacing inflation. In reality, the Russian economy is struggling. The ruble has hit a two-year low since 2022. Since then, the Russian National Welfare Fund has been halved, if not more, and labor shortages are tying the hands of businesses. The Russian central bank's interest rate, set at 21 percent, the highest in decades, is a clear sign of the deep problems facing the economy. Due to the Kremlin's unbridled military adventurism Russia's military spending has almost tripled since 2021. since and together with other security spending now swallow up over 40% of the state budget, while food prices are rising and Inflation, officially 8.5%, is estimated by analysts to be much higher. These figures are far from an economic success and reveal the deepening holes in the Russian economy. The picture is complicated by the ongoing war and long-term mismanagement of the economy. This disinformation narrative is part of Russian military and economic propaganda, which seeks to demonstrate strength, downplay the impact of Western sanctions, and extol the supposed benefits for citizens of the Kremlin's authoritarian leadership.
EUvsDisinfo/ translation: Representation of the European Commission in Bulgaria