Norwegian "alternative" media sites caught amplifying Kremlin war narratives

The Insight News Media published the investigation.

New findings reveal that these platforms function as sophisticated distribution channels for Kremlin-aligned narratives, using Norwegian language and anti-establishment framing to legitimize Russian state messaging about the war in Ukraine.

Propaganda pipeline in plain sight

In Norway's media landscape, pro-Russian propaganda doesn't arrive with obvious Kremlin branding. Instead, it appears as commentary, long-form analysis, and confident headlines suggesting mainstream media is hiding the truth. Steigan.no and Derimot.no have emerged as key distribution nodes for narratives that closely mirror Russia's official messaging on Ukraine, NATO, and Western policy.

Content analysis reveals a consistent pattern: Ukraine is portrayed as illegitimate, the EU and NATO are cast as the real aggressors, and Russian atrocities are either denied or attributed to Ukrainian forces. The sites operate as a repeatable disinformation pipeline—pick a Kremlin narrative, wrap it in Norwegian anti-elite language, cite Russian state sources as facts, and attach an emotional hook designed for sharing.

Steigan.no: From Maoist roots to Kremlin echo chamber

Steigan.no, operated by former Maoist Communist leader Pål Steigan, attracts nearly 165,000 visits monthly. The platform has been widely identified by Norwegian researchers as a hub for Russian propaganda and conspiracy theories. Its coverage of the Bucha massacre portrays the documented atrocity as "staged" and suggests Ukrainians themselves were responsible—a fabrication thoroughly debunked by international investigations.

The outlet employs Russian state terminology as if it were neutral language. Articles refer to Russia's full-scale invasion as a "special military operation" and describe it as an effort "to free a brotherly and sisterly people from a militarised dictatorship infected by Nazis." One piece claims Russia "generally used weapons avoiding heavy bombing or shelling, especially against civilian areas"—contradicted by extensive documentation of Russian attacks on civilian infrastructure.

Shifting blame and laundering sources

Steigan.no systematically shifts blame for the war onto Western powers, accusing the United States of using Ukraine "as a weapon of war against Russia" and blaming NATO for provoking the invasion. The site claims that "the transatlantic pro-war establishment has once again succumbed to a serious bout of peace disruption syndrome: they reflexively denounce what is at this stage the best achievable deal for Ukraine as a 'capitulation.'"

The platform routinely cites sanctioned Russian state media including Sputnik, RT, and RIA Novosti as authoritative sources. In one article, it reproduced Sputnik allegations that "a group of 250 Ukrainian military experts has arrived in Syria's northern Idlib governorate to train extremist militants." This "source laundering" gives Russian state narratives a Norwegian voice while evading EU sanctions.

Language choices reveal deeper alignment. Steigan.no uses "Kyiv regime" to delegitimize Ukraine's government, employs the Russian imperial term "Novorossiya" for Ukrainian regions, and repeatedly labels Ukrainian forces as "neo-Nazis"—all core Kremlin messaging elements. "Words are not innocent here," the investigation notes. "They are routing protocols in wider information campaigns."

Derimot.no: "Alternative" journalism as information warfare

Derimot.no, run by retired psychologist Knut Lindtner and generating around 58,000 monthly visits, follows similar patterns. The site frames itself as offering "suppressed perspectives" while systematically amplifying Kremlin-aligned content. Its coverage calls the 2014 Maidan Revolution a "coup d'état when the United States took power in Ukraine" rather than a popular uprising.

The platform's Bucha coverage republishes a statement from Russia's Communist Party labeling the massacre a "disgusting provocation by Bandera Nazis," emphasizing that photos appeared "4 days after the arrival of Ukrainian troops" and describing reports of Russian atrocities as "part of the ongoing information war of the U.S. alliance against Russia."

Derimot.no routinely quotes sanctioned Russian media as straightforward news sources, reproducing RT's narrative that Western arms aid merely "prolongs the conflict without changing the outcome" and citing TASS to claim "a Danish instructor, who trained Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16 fighter jets, was reportedly killed in a Russian missile strike."

The wedge: turning foreign policy into domestic resentment

Both outlets employ "wedge tactics"—framing Norwegian support for Ukraine as elite betrayal. Articles describe Norwegian aid as money "thrown at a Zelenskyy regime" while calling political leaders "traitors." "One of the more effective influence tactics is not 'Russia is good'; it's 'Your leaders are lying, wasting your money, and sacrificing you for someone else's war,'" the investigation explains.

After Russia struck Lviv with an Oreshnik missile in January 2026, both platforms amplified Moscow's false claim that the attack was retaliation for a Ukrainian strike on Putin's residence—an event for which even Russian state media provided no evidence.

Ecosystem effect

The documented patterns—atrocity denial, legitimacy erosion of Ukraine's government, blame-shifting to NATO, adoption of Russian terminology, and systematic source laundering—match profiles of Russian influence operations identified across Europe. "A single article can be eccentric, even sloppy. A sustained pattern is different, it becomes a footprint," researchers note.

Individual articles may seem like contrarian opinion, but sustained patterns create an "ecosystem effect." Readers are gradually taught to view Ukraine's government as illegitimate, Western support as a scam, and Russian violence as either justified or fabricated. The recommendation is straightforward—promote media literacy, debunk coordinated messaging, and help audiences recognize pro-Kremlin patterns before they become normalized as common sense.