Federal elections in Germany, photo: Action Press / Shutterstock Editorial
Analysts at the German CeMAS centre have revealed a large-scale disinformation campaign on social media aimed at undermining support for Ukraine in Germany and promoting far-right forces, including the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, ahead of the upcoming 23 February elections, Reuters reports.
According to the report, Russian propagandists are actively using a tactic known as Doppelgaenger to create fake news that looks like Western media. The goal of this disinformation network is to undermine the credibility of Germany’s leading political forces, such as the Green Party and Chancellor Olaf Scholz, because of their support for Ukraine. At the same time, propagandists are trying to strengthen the position of the far right by accusing conservative forces of insufficient support for the country.
Manipulation through social media
According to the report, these posts were actively shared through fake accounts on X (formerly Twitter), garnering over 2.8 million views. The posts contained distorted news, images, and other manipulative material. These posts not only undermine support for Ukraine in Germany, but also attempt to sway political sentiment in favour of the AfD, which is currently in second place in the pre-election sympathy ratings. This could complicate the formation of a coalition after the elections, creating additional political risks for the German government.
Moscow’s aggression and the fight against foreign interference
This campaign is part of Russia’s broader strategy aimed at weakening Western unity and increasing anti-Ukrainian sentiment in European countries. It is noted that Germany remains one of Ukraine’s largest allies, providing significant financial and military assistance, which provokes an aggressive reaction from the Kremlin.
To combat foreign interference in democratic elections, the German Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV ) set up a special team in November to detect and prevent external manipulation.
