OCCRP: Russian Intelligence, German extremists, and Bulgarian front company tied to propaganda scheme

In February 2026, a pro-Russian disinformation campaign named Storm-1516 was uncovered targeting French President Emmanuel Macron, involving false allegations linked to Jeffrey Epstein published by the outlet Anonymous News. The Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project revealed that this network was coordinated by Russia's GRU military intelligence Unit 29155 and involved German far-right radical Mario Rönsch, who leveraged large social media followings and weapon sales before relocating to Moscow. Financial transactions passed through a Czech company nominally owned by a Bulgarian resident unaware of the media operations. Telegram channels linked to FSB operatives, notably Alexey Bashilov, helped promote the disinformation. French intelligence assesses this scheme as a serious threat to European democracy, aiming to erode trust in legitimate political and media institutions through a complex ecosystem of propaganda channels.