Wave of russian fakes ahead of elections in Germany
russian disinformation networks have intensified their information influence on Germany ahead of the state parliament elections scheduled to take place throughout 2026, starting on March 8.
▫️ The Center has recorded the emergence of a number of fake videos circulating on social media disguised as materials from reputable German media outlets.
In particular, the following disinformation claims are being spread:
▪️ “In Germany, 40,000 migrants were legalized ahead of municipal elections to secure the CDU party’s control at the local level”;
▪️ “Mossad warned residents of Germany about an increased level of terrorist threat during regional elections”;
▪️ “A group of Ukrainian refugees carrying toxic substances for a terrorist attack during the federal elections was detained at the French border.”
All these messages are distributed in the form of videos featuring the logos of well-known German media outlets. However, no such materials exist on the official platforms of these publications. These are fabricated pieces of content styled to resemble journalistic reports.
▫️ Such falsification of media materials is a typical method of the russian disinformation network “Matryoshka”, which systematically produces fake news in the name of Western outlets for further dissemination on social media.
The narratives promoted in these fakes aim to undermine trust in the electoral process and fuel fear within German society. The intensification of russia’s information operations indicates a new wave of hybrid warfare against European states. The kremlin systematically seeks to destabilize the situation in EU countries and interfere in democratic processes through disinformation campaigns.
