FBI names Germany as the main target of Russian disinformation

The FBI has said that Germany has been one of the main targets of Russian disinformation for at least two years. This was reported by Spiegel.

According to the FBI report, the disinformation campaigns are crafted and managed from the Kremlin. Their goal is to weaken support for Ukraine, damage NATO’s image, and support the far-right Alternative for Germany party.

Washington has long accused Russia of interfering in the US presidential election. On September 4, the US government imposed a large package of sanctions on several individuals and organisations.

The sanctions list includes representatives of the Russian state-run RT TV channel and its editor-in-chief, Margarita Simonyan. US agencies also published court documents that allegedly show Moscow’s interference in the current US presidential election campaign.

The information presented in court by the FBI disclosed that the Russian information operations to manipulate German, Italian, French, and UK politicians, business managers, journalists and influencers.

The US law enforcement agency’s 277-page report (published by Politico) draws from the records of relevant Russian disinformation spreader meetings. They allegedly discussed strategies to “discredit” the United States, the United Kingdom, and NATO, as well as “communicate the truth about the war in Ukraine,” which is expected to be a Russian manipulation to shift responsibility for its illegal invasion of Ukraine.

At one of the meetings, it was decided to focus on Germany, the report says. Since the start of Russia’s all-out war against Ukraine two years ago, Germany has been one of Ukraine’s most important supporters.

One of the documents attributed by FBI investigators to the Russian company Social Design Agency states that the goal was to “increase internal tensions in U.S. allies” to advance Russia’s interests in the international stage.

The FBI experts concluded that Social Design Agency acts under the orders of Russian president Vladimir Putin’s deputy chief of staff Sergey Kiriyenko.

The Russian psy-ops operatives identified Germany as a very vulnerable target for pro-Kremlin influence, Politico writes.

To this end, the “Alternative for Germany” was to be supported “by all possible means.” The goal was to create an “image of martyrs” for the party “suffering for democracy and Germany’s national interests.” Distributing fake videos or websites was one way to achieve this.

A Social Design Agency document, obtained by American investigators, describes the Russian operation called “International Conflict Incitement” targeting audiences in France and Germany.

It aimed “to escalate internal tensions to promote the interests of the Russian Federation,” and also “to influence real-life conflicts and artificially create conflict situations” via fake news, agents of influence, as well as targeted posts and comments on social media platforms.

The FBI investigation focusses primarily on the Russian website clones campaign. Its tactics include cloning the websites of existing famous and authoritative media outlets and government agencies. The US government asserts that the Russian presidential administration initiates the attempts at influence from the highest levels.

Earlier, the U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on RT’s management and related companies for attempting to interfere in the U.S. presidential election.