The report analyzes Russia's global foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI) ecosystem, which includes official state communications, state-controlled media outlets like RT and Sputnik, and intelligence-controlled covert media operations. It highlights Moscow's efforts to implant this Kremlin-managed FIMI structure in foreign countries, relying on local influence networks and elite access, with a strategic focus on advancing Russian foreign policy goals. The study compares cases in Ghana, India, and the UAE, illustrating how Russia adapts messaging and builds networks locally. A detailed analysis of Sudan shows Russian FIMI exacerbating fragility in the context of civil war. The report notes repeated dissemination of false Russian narratives against Ukraine, NATO, the Baltic states, and actors opposing Russian aggression. It calls for enhanced European and national government responses including positive narratives, asymmetric countermeasures exploiting Russia's global financial and partnership limitations, expanded monitoring capabilities in multiple languages, stronger cooperation with regional partners, and deeper empirical research on disinformation effects especially beyond the global north.

The report analyzes Russia's global foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI) ecosystem, which includes official state communications, state-controlled media outlets like RT and Sputnik, and intelligence-controlled covert media operations. It highlights Moscow's efforts to implant this Kremlin-managed FIMI structure in foreign countries, relying on local influence networks and elite access, with a strategic focus on advancing Russian foreign policy goals. The study compares cases in Ghana, India, and the UAE, illustrating how Russia adapts messaging and builds networks locally. A detailed analysis of Sudan shows Russian FIMI exacerbating fragility in the context of civil war. The report notes repeated dissemination of false Russian narratives against Ukraine, NATO, the Baltic states, and actors opposing Russian aggression. It calls for enhanced European and national government responses including positive narratives, asymmetric countermeasures exploiting Russia's global financial and partnership limitations, expanded monitoring capabilities in multiple languages, stronger cooperation with regional partners, and deeper empirical research on disinformation effects especially beyond the global north.