Regional elections in Germany under threat of Russian interference
Germany’s Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) has warned of increasing risks of russian interference in the state parliamentary elections scheduled throughout 2026, beginning on March 8. German counterintelligence assesses the threat as “extremely serious,” anticipating large-scale information manipulation aimed at supporting political forces aligned with moscow.
◻️ The kremlin is expected to employ tactics to discredit individuals and organizations whose positions contradict russia’s worldview, particularly those supporting Ukraine. In addition, attempts may be made to undermine trust in democratic institutions by exploiting issues such as internal security and migration, as well as by casting doubt on the integrity of the electoral process itself. russia’s strategy seeks to radicalize public debate and create a climate of “managed chaos” in order to weaken European unity on sanctions and military assistance to Ukraine.
The experience of the disinformation operation codenamed Storm-1516 ahead of the 2025 federal elections demonstrated that russia systematically combines cyberattacks with networks of fake websites to destabilize the situation in Germany. The intensification of hybrid activities indicates that moscow views election interference as part of its broader national security strategy, aiming to impose a favorable security architecture on Europe and erode public trust in democratic institutions and procedures.
The Center previously reported on warnings issued by Danish intelligence services regarding potential russian interference in parliamentary elections in Denmark.
