As part of their broader strategy in Russia’s hybrid war, Russian state propaganda media and pro-Kremlin media outlets in the EU nations try to provoke internal tensions. They fuel political polarization by means of manipulative content meant to widen the divide between political factions, as shows the analysis conducted by Espreso Global with our input.
The first piece of this investigation, dispatched into three articles, highlighted how pro-Kremlin websites and Russian media disseminated stories about Russia’s military triumphs and the futility of backing Ukraine.
Supporting radical and far-right speakers helps them promote their stories of “social injustice” and “elite control.” The aim is to make Europeans believe their governments are destroying their nations. This narrative is especially aimed at countries helping Ukraine against Russian war aggression.
Examining news sources closely in any European nation reveals those disseminating Russian propaganda and disinformation quite easily. One of the stories they highlight reveals Russia’s actual objectives, which include reducing its support for Ukraine, thereby increasing its vulnerability to Russian strikes.
Emphasizing stories like “EU leaders are leading their countries to ruin” and “The West is in decline, and a new world order with BRICS is coming,” this article focuses on the attempts of pro-Russian platforms in Europe to denigrate the leadership of European Union member states and institutions. These two storylines were among the most often pushed by Russia-friendly outlets in the first half of November.
“EU leaders are leading their countries to ruin”
In November, Cz24.news, which we’ve previously exposed here for spreading Kremlin fakes, promoted in the Czech Republic the idea of hidden foreign control in Poland. In an article about Poland’s plans to build a defense wall on its border with Russia and Belarus, it claims that Polish Prime Minister Tusk “is trying to impress his Western masters, but this will ruin the country’s economy.”
- https://cz24.news/rusofobny-zapal-vedie-hyenu-europy-k-nevyhnutnemu-bankrotu/
The article “The EU, as it is, is bad for us!” from the Czech media outlet Czechfreepress.cz clearly promotes the idea that the EU harms Europeans, particularly by “severely punishing countries that don’t comply with its demands.”
- https://www.czechfreepress.cz/dalsi-blogy/eu-aka-je-nam-skodi.html
Commenting on the news that Czech President Petr Pavel had authorized 60 Czech citizens who wanted to fight for Ukraine, the Infokuryr.cz outlet quoted a single statement from Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova, who claimed that the Czech president neglects his people. The headline calls President Pavel “Agent Pávek.”
- https://www.infokuryr.cz/n/2024/11/05/agent-pavek-alias-petr-pavel-umoznil-ceskym-obcanum-bojovat-na-strane-ukrajiny/
The website Pokec24.cz republished a story from another pro-Russian outlet, První Zprávy, using the name of Czech General Karel Řehka to spread the claim that there is a military junta in the country. Řehka has repeatedly said the Czech Republic needs to strengthen its army because of Russia’s war in Ukraine.
- https://www.pokec24.cz/politika/odvolejte-juntu-driv-nez-bude-pozde/
Pokec24.cz also tried to discredit Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president and strong supporter of Ukraine. The pro-Kremlin website misrepresented Ursula von der Leyen’s remarks about establishing a European spy agency, utilizing a user’s comment from another outlet as the headline: “Abwehr or Gestapo? Ursula von der Leyen wants her spy service.”
- https://www.pokec24.cz/politika/abwehr-nebo-gestapo-ursula-von-der-leyenova-chce-svoji-spionazni-agenturu/
In France, Qactus.fr, a website known for its anti-Western and pro-Russian content, published an article spreading conspiracy theories about the Spanish government. The article claims that Spanish authorities knew about the floods in Valencia and were working with the “global financial elite” on a secret plan to control the country. The piece quotes pro-Russian, anti-government conspiracy theorists Silvano Trotta (Italy) and Tatiana Ventôse (France).
- https://qactus.fr/2024/11/10/espagne-coincidence-ou-complot-la-caixabank-et-le-gouvernement-espagnol-ont-ils-prevu-les-inondations-a-valence/
Russia’s disinformation machine often uses right-wing radical groups in Europe to spread its ideas. The notorious French outlet Le Média en 4-4-2 continued its campaign against the current French government. The outlet quoted Florian Philippot, the pro-Russian, anti-EU leader of the far-right party Les Patriotes, who spread the false claim that the French government is planning early presidential elections. He accused Macron of trying to manipulate the process.
- https://lemediaen442.fr/macron-sur-le-depart-florian-philippot-annonce-que-les-partis-politiques-se-preparent-a-une-presidentielle-anticipee/
In a manipulative story published, Le Média en 4-4-2 once again cited Philippot, who mocks Emmanuel Macron by calling for his impeachment and harshly criticizing his foreign policy, implying that it could lead to his downfall.
- https://lemediaen442.fr/florian-philippot-elysee-en-crise-macron-a-lair-paume-on-ne-comprend-pas-ce-quil-fait-dapres-un-ministre/
The German news website Pi-news.net had previously tried to scare its readers by claiming that the escalation of the war in Ukraine could trigger a major European war, possibly even a world war (in other words, don’t send weapons to Ukraine, or you’ll anger Putin).
In November, this biased outlet wrote about how the so-called “fight against the right” is no longer bound by any limits. The article specifically mentioned the nationalist, right-wing populist, pro-Russian political party Alternative for Germany (AfD), alleging pressure and attempts to destroy the party.
- https://www.pi-news.net/2024/11/goetz-kubitschek-es-geht-nicht-um-recht-es-geht-um-macht/
RT en français, the French version of the Russian state propaganda media RT, has managed to evade EU bans and is currently disseminating false information about European Union leaders. In November, it conveyed to its audience that Putin accuses Europe of lacking intelligence and that politicians lacking economic knowledge make overly politicized and unrealistic economic decisions.
- https://francais.rt.com/international/114568-vladimir-poutine-sur-europe-il-russie
This month, RT’s French edition attempted to demonstrate “the incompetence” of European leaders by exploiting people’s concerns about rising prices.
- https://francais.rt.com/international/114554-penuries-gaz-europe-hiver
“The West is declining, and a new world order with BRICS is coming.”
In November, Vladimir Putin revealed his new plan for a “world order.” Basically, Russia declared its plan to place BRICS over the West, which is allegedly already in decline. As with many Russian plans, this one also comes with a strong propaganda campaign. Pro-Russian platforms in Europe are already pushing propaganda content to convince people that the EU is gradually collapsing.
A pseudo-analyst on the Czech website Infokuryr.cz discussed the growing divisions within the EU. He asserted that countries such as Georgia, Turkey, and Serbia are not eager to join the EU, and he also asserted that Moldova had recently rejected EU membership in a referendum. The analyst argues that the only reason the EU got a positive result in Moldova was due to manipulation, including opening more than 200 polling stations across European countries to influence the vote.
- https://www.infokuryr.cz/n/2024/11/11/mame-v-evrope-slavit-sve-narozeniny-nebo-se-pripravit-na-posledni-cestu/
The pro-Kremlin French website Ripostelaique.com published an article by a pro-Kremlin author, Marc Rousset, who urged France to leave NATO and ally with Russia. He claimed Russia acts as Europe’s shield against threats from China, Turkey, the Caucasus, the Middle East, and Central Asia. According to him, Europe should view itself as part of Russia, with Russia’s vast territory serving as Europe’s “Far East.”
- https://ripostelaique.com/la-france-doit-quitter-lotan-et-sallier-avec-la-russie.html
In November, the pro-Kremlin French website Stratpol reported that at the Valdai Forum, Putin outlined the principles of a future world order, criticizing “Western hegemony.” The self-proclaimed experts of this outlet confidently assert the inevitable implementation of Putin’s vision.
- https://stratpol.com/poutine-formule-les-principes-du-nouvel-ordre-mondial-au-club-valdai/
The Czech news outlet Czechfreepress.cz echoes the same message. The authors have translated Putin’s speech from the Valdai Forum and assert the creation of a new world order.
- https://www.czechfreepress.cz/rusko/putinuv-projev-po-trumpove-vitezstvi-pred-ocima-se-nam-formuje-zcela-novy-svetovy-rad.html
In November, an article by Spanish-language website PiensaChile claimed that a new world order is emerging, with the West in decline. It argues that the future will be a multipolar world and that NATO is just a leftover from the old system.
- https://piensachile.com/2024/07/23/el-bloque-capitalista-occidental-se-niega-a-aceptar-la-nueva-realidad-geopolitica/
French pro-Kremlin outlet Réseau International, which claims to be independent and funded by donations, is actually pushing pro-Russian messages, including claims that the Western world is on the brink of collapse. The article titled “Ukraine, Trump, energy: The EU and France in agony?” explores this theme. Thierry Mariani, a pro-Russian politician, talks about Europe’s “obsession” with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
- https://reseauinternational.net/ukraine-trump-energie-lue-et-la-france-a-lagonie/
The Odysee platform has become a place for spreading the views of French pro-Kremlin propagandist Xavier Moreau, who is based in Moscow. His YouTube channel was closed in 2022 by the platform for spreading disinformation. On a new platform, Moreau continues to claim that the Western world is collapsing, and a new world order will emerge, led by the BRICS.
- https://odysee.com/@STRATPOL:d/2103comp2:3?src=embed&t=2052.270005
The French outlet Voltairenet, which often promotes conspiracy theories about the United States, claimed that after Trump’s victory and the expansion of the BRICS group, there will be a shift in the world order and a decline in the power of the United States.
- https://www.voltairenet.org/article221486.html
In November, the French-language propaganda website Les Moutons Enrages spread a manipulated story about France’s decline and the inevitable collapse of its economy.
- https://lesmoutonsenrages.fr/2024/11/11/et-maintenant-leffondrement-francais/
Fabrice Sorlin, a Frenchman living in Russia who supports Moscow and believes the West is in decline, featured Putin’s offer to grant asylum to individuals from Western countries fleeing “decline and neoliberalism” on the pro-Kremlin French website Strategika.
- https://strategika.fr/2024/11/18/echapper-a-la-decadence-occidentale-en-russie-chocs-du-monde-avec-fabrice-sorlin/
Anti-Spiegel is a pro-Kremlin German media outlet run by Thomas Röper, which constantly spreads narratives aligned with Russian propaganda. Anti-Spiegel also frequently quotes the German-language Telegram channel “Neues aus Russland Alina Lipp,” run from Russia by a German blogger Alina Lipp, which promotes anti-Ukrainian views.
Additionally, Anti-Spiegel published a story asserting that sanctions are actually improving Russia’s situation. The article backs up what Russian propagandists have been saying all along: that Russia isn’t suffering from sanctions and might actually be better off than before.
- https://anti-spiegel.ru/2024/russland-geht-es-mit-den-sanktionen-sogar-besser-als-vorher/
Russian interference and hybrid efforts target European democracies
Russian propaganda is steadily advancing its goal in Europe by seeking creative ways to avoid sanctions, backed by local Kremlin-friendly media outlets, and launching new websites and cloned domains to carry its messages.
Kremlin-funded platforms RT and Sputnik are not alone in these efforts, as local pro-Russian publications can freely share or even republish Russian fakes about Ukraine. As seen in this analysis, these narratives denigrate Ukraine and the European political leadership and fuel divisions and internal conflicts in the EU.
Ultimately, Russian interference and hybrid efforts target European democracies. The EU countries regretfully still lack workable counter-strategies to halt or even prevent pro-Russian disinformation and propaganda campaigns.
The third article of this series will examine pro-Russian media outlets that target European audiences, presenting narratives such as “The West is to blame for the war in Ukraine” and “The neo-Nazi junta in Ukraine.”
