Federal Ministry of the Interior: Complex network spreads Russian disinformation

Disinformation from Russia is still being spread in Germany “to an unchanged high degree”, above all via social networks such as the messenger Telegram. This was explained by a spokesman for the Federal Ministry of the Interior at the request of the German Press Agency. Furthermore, “the well-known narratives would be disseminated and current topics taken up”. Russia relies on a complex network of state and non-state-controlled actors. The aim is to influence public opinion in the Federal Republic, exacerbate possible conflicts in society and undermine trust in state institutions.

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No decline since the beginning of the Ukraine war

After the ministry pointed out deceptively real-looking, fake media websites with pro-Russian misinformation about the war in Ukraine a year ago, it now says: “There has been no decrease in Russian disinformation within the last twelve months.” With the start of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, the amount of Russian disinformation in Germany had increased, the spokesman added. We continue to take the threat very seriously and counteract it with determination.

The federal government has its own task force for this, in which federal ministries and security authorities coordinate with each other. The aim is to identify the narratives in order to strengthen “proactive, transparent and fact-based communication” and to strengthen society’s resilience. At the same time, the analytical capabilities of the intelligence services would be strengthened. It was only in spring that a whistleblower provided new insights into Russian cyber warfare with the so-called “Vulkan Files” and made the background to the disinformation campaigns public. However, these only illuminated events up to 2021.

(my)

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