Russia’s Disinformation War Targets Germany’s Local Elections

Russian disinformation campaigns are increasingly targeting regional and municipal candidates in Germany ahead of critical local elections set for September The eastern states of Saxony-Anhalt, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Berlin all go to the polls next month with strong results for the Russia-friendly far-right AfD party expected. German authorities, however, are warning that Moscow is not simply banking on genuine pro-Russian sentiment among some voters in eastern Germany.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. Instead, it is actively seeking to magnify existing political and social divisions. Officials have identified, for example, videos designed to resemble content from established media outlets, copying their logos, that falsely accuse politicians of serious sexual offences. They targeted candidates from all major parties in the regions where elections are upcoming, with the two notable exceptions of the Russia-friendly far-right AfD and the left-wing BSW. In addition to Russian intelligence services and organisations such as the Social Design Agency (SDA), an IT agency with close ties to the Kremlin, academic specialists are believed to be playing a growing role in Moscow’s information operations, including through researchers affiliated with the Russian Academy of Sciences. Organisations such as SDA, which is financed by the Russian state and receives support and strategic guidance from Unit 29155 of Russia’s military intelligence service, have developed relatively detailed key performance indicators (KPIs). Other Topics of Interest Russia Denies Using Colombian Mercenaries in Ukraine War Russia’s embassy in Colombia denied ties to alleged recruitment networks after a report said Colombians were enlisted to fight against Ukraine. But its definition of success appears generous, as the SDA reportedly counts almost any media coverage of its operations as a win, regardless of whether it ultimately contributes to Russia’s intended influence objectives. Moscow’s objectives Internal SDA documents, obtained by Euractiv as part of a recent leak and assessed as authentic by authorities in Berlin, offer a glimpse into the organisation’s ambitions. The documents state that the organisation aims to strengthen the “effectiveness of supporting the foreign policy measures implemented by the state to ensure the security of the Russian Federation”. The objective is to be achieved primarily by “deepening internal rifts within ruling elites, stimulating protest activity among opposition forces, escalating anti-government demonstrations, and destabilising the politically apathetic segment of the electorate in NATO countries and their satellite states.” The organisation also claims its influence model has already been “tested, validated, and proven reliable”, and can be deployed across major online platforms, countries, and subject areas. For example, the SDA identifies “mass protests in NATO countries – followed by the dissemination of related content within the adversary’s media landscape – as a crucial supporting element”. German authorities have identified several projects that appear to form part of SDA’s strategy. One is a clone of Wikipedia, with some of its pages reportedly already outranking the original site in certain search results. Another document sets out plans to establish a think tank in 2026 whose experts could appear in Western media while promoting narratives aligned with Russian interests. The website has reportedly already been created, with an English-language version launched. “Once this work is complete, similar sites in German, French, and Spanish will be launched. Social media accounts (Facebook and X) will also be set up,” the document states. Germany, as the biggest supporter of Ukraine, is considered the primary target of Russia’s disinformation ecosystem. However, one SDA document outlines plans to monitor “the accounts of the 100 most prominent French opposition key opinion leaders”. It says it will publish “30–40 of their messages daily on the site, including screenshots and links to original posts,” as well as launch a French-language “AI News” project with hundreds of videos. Euractiv is a European news website focused on EU policies. It was founded in 1999 by the French media publisher Christophe Leclercq. The website's headquarters and central editorial staff are located in Brussels, with offices in Paris and Berlin.