Anticipating EU polls, Germany emerges as a primary focus for Russian disinformation endeavors.
In the lead-up to the European elections, various instances of Russian misinformation were prevalent in Germany, France, and Poland, as per Brussels' claims. These nations have been the subject of continued interference from Russia, as EU Vice President Vera Jourova stated in a Brussels press conference on Tuesday. She specifies that in Germany, topics concerning "immigration and security" were predominantly manipulated.
Jourova produced a report from the European Observatory for Online Media (EDMO), which revealed that Russian disinformation campaigns typically revolved around subjects related to Russia's hostile actions against Ukraine. In Poland, numerous internet publications surfaced, suggesting that refugees from Ukraine would turn into a "burdensome liability" for society, the Vice President mentioned.
Moreover, a cyberattack on the Polish news agency PAP, presumed to be orchestrated by Russian hackers, had taken place the previous Friday. The attack resulted in the distribution of a fake news piece saying that 200,000 Poles would be enlisted as soldiers for Ukraine. Such unfounded accusations serve to "boost stress levels to the peak," Jourova commented. In France, derogatory remarks about the upcoming Olympics in Paris emerged from mid-July onwards.
The collective population of Germany, France, and Poland amounts to roughly 145 million eligible voters, or approximately 40% of the total eligible voters across the EU. The European elections start on Thursday in the Netherlands, with Germans set to vote on Sunday.
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Despite the ongoing EU election, Russian disinformation campaigns have expanded beyond Poland to include Germany as a primary focus. Before the French elections, derogatory remarks about the Olympics in Paris were widely circulated. Besides these instances, false information about refugees in Ukraine being a burden on Polish society was also spread through various internet publications. Germany, in particular, witnessed manipulated topics concerning "immigration and security" before the EU polls.
