Pro-Kremlin mouthpiece for Spain, Latin America loses its domain, migrates to new one

Juan Antonio Aguilar, a former Spanish military officer known for his contributions to Russian propaganda outlets like Sputnik and RT and his frequent trips to Moscow, manages it. This website has recently lost its domain, geoestrategia.es, and had to move to a new one, geoestrategia.eu. 

It’s unclear whether this move was prompted by a block by the Spanish authorities, but the outlet persists in promoting its conspiracy-laden content on the new domain, specifically the EU extension. The message on the old domain says that this website is “Gone: The requested resource is no longer available on this server, and there is no forwarding address. Please remove all references to this resource.” If the old domain's owner controlled it, he/she would have installed a permanent redirection to the new one (response 410 (deleted) vs response 301 (moved).

As is the case for many pro-Kremlin mouthpieces in Europe, this outlet is disguised as a center for strategic research and geopolitical analysis. Its name says it a lot: Geo Strategy.

Geoestrategia.eu frames Russia's war in Ukraine as a NATO proxy conflict, blaming Europe for "instigating the war." The platform spreads Russian disinformation and consistently praises Russia, its leadership, and its weapons. It's part of a large network of pro-Kremlin news websites that spread Russian narratives to the audiences in Spain and Latin America.

The homepage of the site provides a guide on how individuals in Europe can continue to watch the sanctioned Kremlin channel RT. “ATTENTION! The so-called "free world’ has censored the signal of the Russian TV channel RT. To continue watching it on our portal, please follow the instructions below.”

Espreso analyzed Geoestrategia.eu and concluded that it is not just a media outlet occasionally sharing pro-Russian views but an active part of Russia’s hybrid warfare and a tool of its propaganda.

Covering Russian officials’s statements

Geoestrategia.eu often broadcasts speeches or interviews with Russian officials without any balance or critical analysis of their propaganda statements.

For example, on December 26, Geoestrategia.eu published a detailed analysis of Putin’s recent press conference, openly romanticizing the dictator and analyzing nearly every point he made.

• https://geoestrategia.eu/noticia/43874/opinion/preguntas-y-respuestas-de-putin-y-el-enigma-de-las-guerras-eternas.html

In December, Geoestrategia.eu also covered what Putin said at the investment forum in Moscow about global geopolitics and the crisis in Europe. As usual, Putin spoke about the defeat of the "collective West" in its war against "invincible" Russia.

• https://geoestrategia.eu/noticia/43781/politica/putin-hablo-en-el-foro-de-inversiones-en-moscu-sobre-la-geopolitica-global-y-la-crisis-en-europa.html

On December 7, Geoestrategia.eu published a complete translation of an interview with Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

• https://geoestrategia.eu/noticia/43806/politica/tucker-carslon-entrevista-a-lavrov.-un-exito-con-millones-de-visitas:-version-completa-doblada-video.html

Invincible Russian weapons

The narrative of invincible Russian weapons is meant to make the West view the world the way the Kremlin wants. Geoestrategia.eu helps spread this by openly praising Russian weapons in its reports.

• https://geoestrategia.eu/noticia/43851/empresa-/-tecnologia/kalinka:-el-sistema-revolucionario-de-rusia-para-starlink-y-deteccion-de-drones.html
• https://geoestrategia.eu/noticia/43794/empresa-/-tecnologia/de-que-defensas-dispone-rusia-contra-la-amenaza-de-los-misiles-balisticos.html

Geoestrategia.eu has also promoted Russia's claim that its new missile, Oreshnik, is unbeatable. This outlet spreads Russian threats, saying: “The new Russian weapon, Oreshnik (hazel), can cool down the arrogant psychopaths in the West.”

• https://geoestrategia.eu/noticia/43724/ultimas-noticias/la-advertencia-se-llama-oreshnik-avellano-y-es-la-nueva-arma-rusa-que-puede-enfriar-a-los-exaltados-psicopatas-de-occidente.-analisis.html
• https://geoestrategia.eu/noticia/43713/ultimas-noticias/rusia-provoca-el-terror-en-la-otan-con-un-nuevo-tipo-de-misil-en-represalia-por-el-uso-por-la-dictadura-de-kiev-de-misiles-en-territorio-ruso.-analisis.html

“Analysis”

Geoestrategia.eu often publishes what it claimed were exclusive analyses of the situation on the frontlines in Ukraine, but in reality, it simply echoed statements from Russian military command, claiming that the Russian army was steadily breaking through Ukrainian defenses.

• https://geoestrategia.eu/noticia/43385/defensa/gorniak-y-ukrainsk:-el-ejercito-ruso-sigue-desmoronando-las-defensas-de-las-fuerzas-armadas-de-ucrania-en-donbass.-analisis.html

Geoestrategia.eu also published a positive review of the book The Maidan Massacre in Ukraine by professor Ivan Katchanovski from the University of Ottawa. Since 2014, this "professor" has been making references to "Ukrainian Nazis." It matches a well-known Russian fake that was used as one of the pretexts for the war, announced by Putin.

• https://geoestrategia.eu/noticia/43772/historia/masacre-en-kiev-maidan:-la-verdad-es-la-primera-victima-de-la-guerra.html

Demonization of West

Russia has a history of interfering in elections in other countries. This December, Romanian intelligence concluded that Russia had controlled social media accounts to support a candidate who eventually won the presidential election in Romania. 

On December 6, the Romanian Constitutional Court annulled the election results. Shortly after, Geoestrategia.eu published a detailed article, with the central focus on a statement by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who "condemned" the West’s habit of interfering in elections and blaming Russia for everything.

• https://geoestrategia.eu/noticia/43884/ultimas-noticias/se-descarta-la-huella-rusa-en-las-presidenciales-de-rumania-los-sobornos-de-zelensky-georgia-moldavia-una-otan-podrida-y-una-ue-en-ruinas.html

In another article, Geoestrategia.eu promotes a conspiracy that it was the global elites who decided to cancel the election results in Romania because they didn’t like them.

“Oligarchy against the people: how elites can cancel an election if they don’t like the results. The Constitutional Court of Romania annulled the election results, where the unpopular candidate, Călin Georgescu, who was critical of the EU and supported good relations with Russia, had won the first round,” the article states.

• https://geoestrategia.eu/noticia/43814/ultimas-noticias/la-oligarquia-contra-el-pueblo:-como-las-elites-pueden-cancelar-unas-elecciones-si-no-le-gustan-los-resultados.html

Blaming NATO, U.S., and West. Narrative of new world order

Recently, the United States announced new sanctions related to Pakistan’s ballistic missile program, with restrictions that, for the first time, targeted the country's defense agency overseeing the program. 

On December 25, Geoestrategia.eu published an article saying that Russia and Pakistan are increasing cooperation in the resource sector, hinting at the recent U.S. sanctions. This reflects Russia's narrative of positioning itself as a counterbalance to the U.S., portraying the country as a friend to the Global South.

• https://geoestrategia.eu/noticia/43870/ultimas-noticias/ee.uu.-impone-sanciones-a-pakistan-por-la-proliferacion-de-su-programa-de-misiles.-la-realidad-es-por-su-cercania-a-rusia.html

Geoestrategia.eu, as expected, spreads the most typical Russian propaganda, blaming NATO for Russia's war in Ukraine and claiming the alliance is directly fighting with Russia.

• https://geoestrategia.eu/noticia/43787/geoestrategia/la-sumision-de-europa:-los-verdaderos-objetivos-de-la-guerra-de-estados-unidos-en-ucrania.html 
• https://geoestrategia.eu/noticia/43738/ultimas-noticias/ocultar-la-derrota:-en-pleno-delirio-la-otan-sigue-arrastrando-al-mundo-a-la-guerra-y-amenaza-con-ataques-preventivos-a-rusia.-analisis.html

In other articles, Geoestrategia.eu blames NATO, claiming that the alliance is dragging the world into a global war. The website also pushes the Russian narrative of a changing world order, claiming that the collapse of the U.S. government is already clear.

• https://geoestrategia.eu/noticia/43751/defensa/la-otan-nos-sigue-arrastrando-a-una-guerra-global.-es-hora-de-hacerle-la-guerra-a-la-otan.-analisis.html
• https://geoestrategia.eu/noticia/43738/ultimas-noticias/ocultar-la-derrota:-en-pleno-delirio-la-otan-sigue-arrastrando-al-mundo-a-la-guerra-y-amenaza-con-ataques-preventivos-a-rusia.-analisis.html

Geoestrategia.eu often tries to manipulate Ukraine's image on the world stage. For example, in November, the website posted fake news claiming that groups of jihadists, supported by NATO, Ukraine, and Israel, were infiltrating Aleppo. 

• https://geoestrategia.eu/noticia/43748/defensa/grupos-de-yihadistas-apoyados-por-la-otan-ucrania-e-israel-se-infiltran-en-alepo-mientras-se-prepara-la-contraofensiva-del-ejercito-sirio.-analisis.html

Naturally, Geoestrategia.eu also blames the U.S. for the war in Ukraine.

• https://geoestrategia.eu/noticia/43787/geoestrategia/la-sumision-de-europa:-los-verdaderos-objetivos-de-la-guerra-de-estados-unidos-en-ucrania.html

Geoestrategia.eu blames the UK for allegedly escalating the war. This biased outlet reported that leaks revealed a secret conspiracy by a British military cell to “keep Ukraine fighting.” This included a plan to attack the Kerch Bridge in Crimea, which would allegedly lead to a Russian escalation and retaliatory strikes on Ukraine's electrical infrastructure.

The website then goes further, openly promoting bizarre conspiracy theories, claiming that the UK’s plan also involved creating a secret “Gladio” army of Ukrainian partisans to carry out assassinations, sabotage, and terrorist missions.

• https://geoestrategia.eu/noticia/43805/inteligencia/filtraciones-revelan-conspiracion-secreta-de-una-celula-militar-britanica-para-mantener-a-ucrania-en-lucha.html

Geoestrategia.eu calls the EU "a swamp of madmen, corrupt people, and criminals." It writes: "France, Germany, and Great Britain. All three governments want to support Ukraine and assure their citizens that doing so won’t lower their standard of living. That is a lie," attempting to manipulate public opinion on Ukraine’s support

• https://geoestrategia.eu/noticia/43786/ultimas-noticias/la-ue-una-cienaga-de-locos-corruptos-y-criminales:-francia-alemania-gran-bretana:-la-inestabilidad-politica-de-europa-occidental.html

Geoestrategia.eu accuses and demonizes nearly all civilized and democratic institutions. For example, the site wrote that the UN, under the guise of fighting "disinformation," is trying to impose global censorship. To back up this claim, the site quotes Russian Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, who said, "In recent years, it has become clear that there is no freedom of speech in the West." 

In this way, Russia tries to protect their mouthpieces and propaganda media outlets worldwide in the context of the fight against fake news and disinformation that they obviously disseminate.

• https://geoestrategia.eu/noticia/43727/ultimas-noticias/la-onu-bajo-los-auspicios-de-la-lucha-contra-la-desinformacion-intenta-introducir-una-censura-global.html

Russian fake about Ukraine as “a failed state”

Finally, let's share the narrative promoted by Geoestrategia.eu about Ukraine being a “failed state,” along with the ideas of external control and fighting to the last Ukrainian—phrases commonly heard on Russian state TV.

• https://geoestrategia.eu/noticia/43725/ultimas-noticias/la-crisis-demografica-pone-en-duda-la-futura-existencia-de-ucrania.-la-impotencia-de-la-otan.html

Conclusions

Geoestrategia.eu makes no effort to hide that it blatantly mirrors Russian propaganda. Every article and news piece on the site reflects the Russian worldview, filtered through the lens of Russian state media and propagandists.

Previously, in our research based on web analytics, we identified the top 20 Spanish-language outlets spreading Russian propaganda and Kremlin-friendly narratives. Building on the initial analysis, Espreso further delved into their pro-Russian narratives and how these platforms amplify disinformation.