{
  "id": "06086d39-6605-4818-9dd4-1e9eba178b31",
  "url": "https://t-online.de/nachrichten/deutschland/id_84584050/mitten-in-berlin-russlands-heimliche-medienzentrale-in-europa.html",
  "source": "extension",
  "status": "approved",
  "category": "Cyber & Information Warfare",
  "subcategory": "Information Operations",
  "incident_type": "Propaganda & disinformation campaigns",
  "country": "Germany",
  "source_reliability": "C",
  "info_credibility": "3",
  "tags": [
    "Russian state media",
    "Kremlin influence",
    "disinformation",
    "propaganda",
    "Berlin",
    "social media manipulation",
    "Russia Today",
    "Ruptly",
    "Redfish",
    "Maffick",
    "In the Now",
    "Facebook political ads",
    "media concealment",
    "hybrid warfare"
  ],
  "nodes": [
    "Node 2: 5th Column"
  ],
  "countries": [
    "Germany"
  ],
  "where_text": "Cyberspace",
  "headline": "Russia’s covert media hub in Berlin operates Kremlin-funded channels masking true ownership",
  "description": "In Berlin-Mitte, Russia runs a covert media center housing Kremlin-funded outlets Ruptly, Redfish, and Maffick that produce politically motivated content while concealing their Russian state ownership. Redfish, a subsidiary of Ruptly and thus part of state broadcaster Russia Today (RT), produced a viral video on 28 September 2018 showing police violence that omitted key facts and was viewed millions of times on social media. German Green MP Canan Bayram and journalist Marcus Staiger were both misled about Redfish's Russian state ties before agreeing to interviews. Facebook has taken actions against Redfish’s paid political ads due to unclear funding sources. Maffick GmbH, led by Anissa Naouai, operates the Facebook channel \"In the Now,\" with over 3.7 million followers, and is partly funded by Ruptly. The 'In the Now' channel, partly run from Moscow and Berlin, has faced Facebook restrictions on politically charged ads paid in Russian rubles. This Berlin-based Russian media hub serves diverse ideological audiences, ranging from leftists and environmentalists to right-wing protests, furthering Kremlin narratives through obfuscated channels.",
  "summary_short": "Kremlin-backed media subsidiaries Ruptly, Redfish, and Maffick operate from Berlin-Mitte, producing politically motivated content while hiding their Russian state ownership, misleading German public and officials.",
  "summary_extended": "Research by t-online.de reveals that three Kremlin-funded media channels—Ruptly, Redfish, and Maffick—operate out of a discreet building in Berlin-Mitte near Potsdamer Platz and the Brandenburg Gate. Redfish, a subsidiary of Russia’s state media group Russia Today (RT), produced a viral but misleading video in September 2018 depicting police violence. German MP Canan Bayram and journalist Marcus Staiger were deceived about the channel's Russian state links before participating in interviews. Meanwhile, the Facebook channel \"In the Now,\" operated by Maffick GmbH under CEO Anissa Naouai, boasts over 3.7 million followers but closely conceals its Russian origins, confirmed via domain registration in Moscow. Facebook has blocked some of their political advertising due to lack of transparency on funding sources. The media center targets diverse audiences on both political left and right, serving as a covert Kremlin influence and propaganda operation within Germany through social media manipulation and information operations.",
  "actor_primary": "Ruptly",
  "target_primary": null,
  "location_text": "Lennéstraße 1, Berlin-Mitte",
  "location_region": "Berlin",
  "location_coordinates_lat": 52.5035,
  "location_coordinates_lon": 13.3655,
  "location_precision": "Exact",
  "is_aggressor_signal": true,
  "signal_type": "HYBRID_SIGNAL",
  "is_hybrid_war_signal": true,
  "classification_complete": true,
  "hybrid_signal_complete": true,
  "classification_confidence": "High",
  "classification_rationale": "The article clearly documents active Russian state media operations in Berlin deploying propaganda and disinformation through obfuscated Kremlin-funded channels, misleading officials and public, constituting hybrid warfare information operations.",
  "event_time_utc": "2018-09-28T00:00:00.000Z",
  "end_time_utc": null,
  "event_time_confidence": "pm24h",
  "created_at": "2026-04-28T15:11:00.030Z",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-04T08:36:03.522Z",
  "reliability_band": "strong",
  "location_precision_band": "exact",
  "time_precision_band": "within_24h",
  "severity_band": "moderate",
  "attribution_confidence_band": "high",
  "attribution_basis": "single_source"
}

{
  "id": "06086d39-6605-4818-9dd4-1e9eba178b31",
  "url": "https://t-online.de/nachrichten/deutschland/id_84584050/mitten-in-berlin-russlands-heimliche-medienzentrale-in-europa.html",
  "source": "extension",
  "status": "approved",
  "category": "Cyber & Information Warfare",
  "subcategory": "Information Operations",
  "incident_type": "Propaganda & disinformation campaigns",
  "country": "Germany",
  "source_reliability": "C",
  "info_credibility": "3",
  "tags": [
    "Russian state media",
    "Kremlin influence",
    "disinformation",
    "propaganda",
    "Berlin",
    "social media manipulation",
    "Russia Today",
    "Ruptly",
    "Redfish",
    "Maffick",
    "In the Now",
    "Facebook political ads",
    "media concealment",
    "hybrid warfare"
  ],
  "nodes": [
    "Node 2: 5th Column"
  ],
  "countries": [
    "Germany"
  ],
  "where_text": "Cyberspace",
  "headline": "Russia’s covert media hub in Berlin operates Kremlin-funded channels masking true ownership",
  "description": "In Berlin-Mitte, Russia runs a covert media center housing Kremlin-funded outlets Ruptly, Redfish, and Maffick that produce politically motivated content while concealing their Russian state ownership. Redfish, a subsidiary of Ruptly and thus part of state broadcaster Russia Today (RT), produced a viral video on 28 September 2018 showing police violence that omitted key facts and was viewed millions of times on social media. German Green MP Canan Bayram and journalist Marcus Staiger were both misled about Redfish's Russian state ties before agreeing to interviews. Facebook has taken actions against Redfish’s paid political ads due to unclear funding sources. Maffick GmbH, led by Anissa Naouai, operates the Facebook channel \"In the Now,\" with over 3.7 million followers, and is partly funded by Ruptly. The 'In the Now' channel, partly run from Moscow and Berlin, has faced Facebook restrictions on politically charged ads paid in Russian rubles. This Berlin-based Russian media hub serves diverse ideological audiences, ranging from leftists and environmentalists to right-wing protests, furthering Kremlin narratives through obfuscated channels.",
  "summary_short": "Kremlin-backed media subsidiaries Ruptly, Redfish, and Maffick operate from Berlin-Mitte, producing politically motivated content while hiding their Russian state ownership, misleading German public and officials.",
  "summary_extended": "Research by t-online.de reveals that three Kremlin-funded media channels—Ruptly, Redfish, and Maffick—operate out of a discreet building in Berlin-Mitte near Potsdamer Platz and the Brandenburg Gate. Redfish, a subsidiary of Russia’s state media group Russia Today (RT), produced a viral but misleading video in September 2018 depicting police violence. German MP Canan Bayram and journalist Marcus Staiger were deceived about the channel's Russian state links before participating in interviews. Meanwhile, the Facebook channel \"In the Now,\" operated by Maffick GmbH under CEO Anissa Naouai, boasts over 3.7 million followers but closely conceals its Russian origins, confirmed via domain registration in Moscow. Facebook has blocked some of their political advertising due to lack of transparency on funding sources. The media center targets diverse audiences on both political left and right, serving as a covert Kremlin influence and propaganda operation within Germany through social media manipulation and information operations.",
  "actor_primary": "Ruptly",
  "target_primary": null,
  "location_text": "Lennéstraße 1, Berlin-Mitte",
  "location_region": "Berlin",
  "location_coordinates_lat": 52.5035,
  "location_coordinates_lon": 13.3655,
  "location_precision": "Exact",
  "is_aggressor_signal": true,
  "signal_type": "HYBRID_SIGNAL",
  "is_hybrid_war_signal": true,
  "classification_complete": true,
  "hybrid_signal_complete": true,
  "classification_confidence": "High",
  "classification_rationale": "The article clearly documents active Russian state media operations in Berlin deploying propaganda and disinformation through obfuscated Kremlin-funded channels, misleading officials and public, constituting hybrid warfare information operations.",
  "event_time_utc": "2018-09-28T00:00:00.000Z",
  "end_time_utc": null,
  "event_time_confidence": "pm24h",
  "created_at": "2026-04-28T15:11:00.030Z",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-04T08:36:03.522Z",
  "reliability_band": "strong",
  "location_precision_band": "exact",
  "time_precision_band": "within_24h",
  "severity_band": "moderate",
  "attribution_confidence_band": "high",
  "attribution_basis": "single_source"
}