Signal
Submitted
Apr 28, 2026, 15:29 UTC
Germany is countering a Russian 'Doppelgänger' disinformation network manipulating political opinion using fake sites and bots, cooperating with EU partners on a shared early warning system.
German authorities have uncovered an ongoing Russian disinformation campaign since early 2022, employing fake news portals and automated social media bots to distort political discourse within Germany. The German Federal Foreign Office is leading efforts alongside France and Poland to implement an early warning and response system targeting foreign influence and information manipulation. Intelligence and findings are shared with EU member states and the European External Action Service in Brussels. Active engagement with social media platforms and collaboration with NGOs, think tanks, and researchers underpin a comprehensive approach to countering these hybrid threats. The campaign aims to erode the fundamental values of liberal democracies in Europe amidst the backdrop of Russia's war on Ukraine.
Confidence: High
The article explicitly describes hostile Russian disinformation activities targeting Germany's political environment and the German government's active countermeasures in cooperation with EU partners against this foreign influence operation.
Source URL
https://t-online.de/nachrichten/deutschland/id_100373912/desinformation-aus-russland-bundesregierung-geht-gegen-doppelgaenger-vor.html
Source reliability
B
Info credibility
6
Event time
Mar 28, 2024, 00:00 UTC
Event time confidence
exact
Location
Germany
Primary actor
Doppelgänger network
Country
Germany
Countries
Germany
Tags
disinformation, Russia, Germany, doppelgänger network, hybrid warfare, information operations, EU cooperation, social media bots, fake news
Nodes
Node 2: 5th Column