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Seeing the whole picture: a new way to track Russian FIMI
Russian disinformation campaigns are not random but organised, persistent, and designed to manipulate how people think, vote, and trust institutions. Despite years of research and monitoring, responses to these operations remain fragmented. The lack of coordinated reporting and a shared framework leads to duplication of efforts and limits the impact of counter-FIMI measures. That is why EU DisinfoLab, together with its partners the European External Action Service (EEAS), Vig
6 days ago


In 2026, the Russian economy is in big trouble
In 2026, the Russian economy is not yet in decline, but it is in real trouble. War-driven growth is losing momentum, sanctions are tightening, financial reserves are shrinking, and uncertainty is increasingly shaping everyday life. What for a while looked like resilience is proving fragile, as the economic costs of the war spread beyond the battlefield. The illusion of resilience For years, the Kremlin has insisted that Western sanctions do not work and that Russia’s economy
Jan 19


TikTok: A Unique Marketing Tool or a Sticky Threat to Security and Mental Health?
Over the years, TikTok has risen to become a global entertainment and information ecosystem, with a monthly user base reaching nearly 1.6 billion people. Propastop analyzed whether the platform—which claims to have around 400,000 users in Estonia (a figure provided by TikTok that cannot be independently verified)—is truly “a place where every company and politician must be, because that’s where the consumer and voter are,” or if it poses a potential threat to society’s psycho
Jan 8


We are still dealing with the long tail of decades of Russian narrative-building and disinformation campaigns
EUvsDisinfo i nterview with Keir Giles . Keir Giles is a British writer, an expert on the Russian military and Russian disinformation. He has written and commented on the geopolitical conflict between the West and Russia such as NATO’s Handbook of Russian Information Warfare published through NATO Defense College. In his last book: Who Will Defend Europe? An Awakened Russia and a Sleeping Continent, Giles lays out the stark choices facing leaders and societies as they conf
Jan 6


From “journalism” to FIMI: EU sanctions Diana Panchenko
The European Union has adopted a new round of sanctions aimed at countering Russia’s ongoing hybrid threats, including foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI) and malicious cyber activity targeting the EU, its member states and partner countries. The latest decision lists twelve individuals and two entities involved in coordinated disinformation campaigns, propaganda networks and cyber operations linked to Russian state interests. The listings form part of
Jan 2


2025 in review: winning the narrative
At the end of 2025, a clear pattern stands out in Russian disinformation: the persistent construction of an image of strength in the face of growing constraints. Throughout the year, Kremlin-aligned outlets amplified exaggerated or false claims of military success in Ukraine, presenting marginal advances as decisive victories. As discussions about future negotiations gained prominence, this narrative of invincibility served a specific purpose – to shape perceptions, set the t
Dec 31, 2025


Controlled questions, crafted lies: inside Putin’s year-end messaging machine
On 19 December 2025, Russian President Vladimir Putin once again appeared on his annual televised call-in programme , ‘Direct Line with Vladimir Putin’, answering questions submitted by members of the public. Putin’s speeches and public appearances are a major pillar of Russia’s Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI) campaigns. By framing disinformation narratives at the highest level, Putin’s public proclamations provide legitimacy and talking points that s
Dec 30, 2025


A battle for hearts and minds: How Russian propaganda takes over Africa
In many parts of Africa, memories of colonial exploitation, past foreign interference and broken promises remain vivid. These wounds – some still open – make fertile ground for narratives that tap into historical trauma, anti-Western sentiment and cultural conservatism. It is precisely this emotional terrain that Russian disinformation seeks to exploit. The TruthAfrica project was born out of a growing need to track and challenge the insidious spread of propaganda across the
Nov 25, 2025


The European Democracy Shield
EU announced the establishment of the European Democracy Shield . The Shield, developed jointly by the European Commission and the European External Action Service, has a robust external dimension and will help empower strong and resilient democracies. Under its first pillar on safeguarding the integrity of the information space, the Joint Communication formulates the EU’s necessary response to the threat of foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI). With this
Nov 18, 2025


Weaponising climate change to undermine the West
The pro-Kremlin disinformation machine is seeking to undermine the EU’s sanctions policy by attacking its Green Deal. In its quest for the tiniest bit of news that could be twisted to undermine liberal democracy around the world, the Kremlin’s disinformation machine occasionally seizes on an issue that it otherwise treats with disinterest or disdain. So it is with climate change. The pro-Kremlin disinformation ecosystem tends to ignore it: The COP30 climate conference, schedu
Nov 7, 2025


Large language models: the new battlefield of Russian information warfare
In the digital age, disinformation campaigns have evolved beyond social media and ‘fake news’, becoming a full form of information warfare – an area in which Russia excels. The Kremlin’s foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI) campaigns have remained largely consistent since the Cold War. But the emergence of the Internet and other communication technologies have allowed for more flexibility and greater impact with fewer resources. Just as the Web 2.0 reshape
Oct 28, 2025


Ukraine’s War of Fact and Fiction
Getting accurate information and news is harder than ever in the social media age, but close to existential in a country at war. As with much of the world, traditional Ukrainian outlets like television, newspapers, and radio play a diminishing role. Citizens have increasingly turned instead to Telegram, YouTube, and Facebook, even though trust in these digital platforms is strikingly low. A survey of 2,000 Ukrainians by Rating Group , a Kyiv-based research organization, hig
Oct 23, 2025


Strain beneath the surface: Russia’s economic pressures amid a continuing conflict
The Kremlin’s planners prepared well for their full-scale invasion of Ukraine, building up currency reserves and later boosting growth through military spending. But the Russian economy is beginning to show signs of weakness as Moscow’s illegal war continues. For years, Russian state outlets and pro-Kremlin commentators have boasted of Russia’s great economy despite Western sanctions that greatly intensified after Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. In
Oct 21, 2025


Please mind the gap: Moscow’s words at UNGA vs deeds on the ground
On 9 September, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) opened its 80th session with familiar themes: peace, development, and human...
Sep 19, 2025


Fake fact-checking: when facts are fiction and falsehoods are facts
Around the world, journalists and researchers use fact-checking to separate truth from lies. Across the Atlantic, sites like FactCheck.org...
Sep 17, 2025


Russian scripts, Georgian voices: How disinformation targets the country’s Western allies: the US, EU, and UK in Georgia
In recent years, Georgian authorities have repeatedly and intensively accused the country’s Western partners, including the United...
Sep 11, 2025


Pro-Moscow Myths in Kharkiv Have Lost Support, but New Narratives Need to Be Created
The tyranny and mass torture that the Kremlin is using in Ukraine today, systematic shelling and rocket attacks on civilians, resulting...
Sep 2, 2025


Propaganda under the guise of analytics: debunking ABC Political Studies
Today, open cooperation with pro-Russian information platforms is toxic for most European expert communities. Therefore, one of the...
Aug 19, 2025


The summit on a disinformation mountain
Moldova is rapidly moving towards parliamentary elections set for 28 September. Seen as decisive for the geopolitical orientation of the...
Aug 8, 2025


Countering disinformation, one international volunteer at a time
In late June, a 30-year-old German-American volunteer crossed the Polish-Ukrainian border to begin combat training with Ukraine’s armed...
Aug 4, 2025
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