The top six narratives that Russian propaganda and pro-Kremlin media promote in Europe

In this research, we have identified six key narratives spread by state-owned Russian media and pro-Russian news outlets in France and the Czech Republic during the first half of November:

• "Supporting Ukraine makes no sense"
• "Russia is winning the war, the defeat of Ukraine and the West is near"
• "The West is to blame for the war in Ukraine"
• "The neo-Nazi junta in Ukraine"
• “Stirring up internal conflict in the EU, and demonization of the EU”
• "The West declines and a new world order with Brics is coming"

This article focuses on the news outlets that propagated the first two narratives by manipulating facts and distorting the truth. The next two articles will cover the remaining four narratives.

"Supporting Ukraine makes no sense"

RT en français – the French version of the Russian propaganda channel RT (formerly Russia Today) bypasses European Union sanctions. Despite the restrictions, its content is still available in Europe. RT often serves as a source for other pro-Russian websites across the EU.

For example, RT, citing a single source, the Communist Party of Greece, claimed that Greek communists blocked a convoy of ammunition for Ukraine. Another Russian state-owned news agency, Sputnik, also spread this story, attempting to support the fake idea of public dissatisfaction with Ukraine's support. A similar story, with the same photo, was backed by the Czech website novarepublika.cz. This site is part of our list of 20 Czech outlets that frequently quote Russian media and promote pro-Kremlin views.

https://francais.rt.com/international/114569-communistes-grecs-bloquent-convoi-munitions-pour-ukraine 

https://x.com/SputnikInt/status/1854691054337114288

https://www.novarepublika.cz/2024/11/demonstranti-v-recku-blokuji-nakladni-auta-se-zbranemi-pro-kyjev 

RT claimed that the coalition in Germany had supposedly fallen apart due to economic problems caused by support for Ukraine and sanctions against Russia, promoting the narrative that if support for Ukraine were stopped, everything would return to normal.

https://francais.rt.com/international/114553-chute-gouvernement-allemand-scholz-pointe-doigt-aide-ukraine 

This RT article was supported by the Czech pro-Kremlin outlet Aeronews, which we also mentioned when discussing Russian propaganda in Czechia.

https://aeronet.news/protiruske-sankce-funguji-nemecka-vladni-koalice-olafa-scholze-se-kvuli-zpetnym-dopadum-sankci-na-nemeckou-ekonomiku-rozpadla-balik-3-miliard-eur-pro-ukrajinu-neprosel/ 

RT uses Kremlin-friendly politicians' statements, particularly Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, to support the idea that the West should stop aiding Ukraine.

https://francais.rt.com/international/114587-viktor-orban-europe-ne-pourra 

Qactus.fr

The French publication Qactus.fr has a number of anti-Western and pro-Russian articles. Here’s an example of an article that directly pushes the narrative about the uselessness of aid to Ukraine. A pro-Russian outlet picked up Donald Trump's claim that half of U.S. aid to Ukraine "disappeared" and questioned where the money went, despite there being no specific facts to back up these suspicions.

https://qactus.fr/2024/11/11/usa-trump-contre-zelensky-ou-sont-passes-les-milliards-disparus-en-ukraine/

Le Média en 4-4-2 

We've already caught Le Média en 4-4-2 spreading falsehoods about Ukraine. This time, they twisted the story about the head of a Ukrainian medical institution being arrested with the headline, "Corruption in Ukraine: 5 million euros seized from a military official."

They made it seem like the money was stolen by Ukrainian military leadership, implying that Ukraine doesn't need foreign aid. In reality, a medical official, not the military, was involved, and the bribes came from individuals attempting to illegally avoid conscription. So, it had nothing to do with aid to Ukraine.

https://lemediaen442.fr/corruption-en-ukraine-5-millions-deuros-saisis-chez-une-responsable-militaire/

Le Media en 442 also echoed Kremlin narratives about doubts in the West over continuing support for Ukraine in an article titled "Is the West Abandoning Ukraine?" In the piece, they claim that Washington is pressuring Kyiv to negotiate peace with Russia and end the war quickly, citing alleged hesitations from the West about its support for Ukraine.

https://lemediaen442.fr/loccident-est-il-en-train-de-lacher-lukraine-karine-bechet-golovko-et-rachid-achachi/

Riposte Laique is an ultra-right-wing French website that has been caught spreading propaganda multiple times. In 2017, the site was listed by BBC among media outlets that spread fake news during the French election. The site is also hosted on servers of the Russian company JSC IOT.

Currently, Riposte Laique is one of the outlets promoting the narrative that supporting Ukraine makes no sense. For instance, they released an article named "Trump's Plan to Save Ukrainians Against Their Will." The article presents a distorted view of Ukraine's future, including its new borders, NATO's frustration, and insults directed at Ukraine's president. The author asserts, "What Russia does with the territories it has recovered at great cost matters little to Washington." Whether it annexes them, forgets about them, or leaves them with some autonomy.”

https://ripostelaique.com/le-plan-de-trump-pour-sauver-les-ukrainiens-malgre-eux.html

In another article, Riposte Laique argues against “funding the war in Ukraine,” mentioning the so-called presence of Nazis in the country. The article claims that European taxpayers are paying for the war against Russia—and now, also against North Korea.

https://ripostelaique.com/les-soldats-de-kim-jong-un-en-russie-mais-a-qui-la-faute.html

Czech websites like protiproud.info, jaktobylo.cz, iportal24.cz and cz24.news, which we've previously mentioned as sources of Russian propaganda, contributed to efforts in early November to undermine support for Ukraine in the West.

Protiproud.info accused Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy of stealing from the people. The title claimed, “Zelenskyy robbed 120,000 people of their homes and money. Kyiv's corrupt regime is hopeless. When will the people revolt?” It suggested that aid to Ukraine should be stopped because it would be stolen.

https://protiproud.info/politika/8270-kradostroj-zelensky-ho-nevynalezl-ale-skvele-zdokonalil-aktualne-obral-120-000-lidi-o-byty-i-penize-putin-rozdava-levne-hypoteky-kyjev-beznadej-okradli-hlavne-emigranty-kdy-se-lide-vzbouri.htm 

The Czech pro-Kremlin media outlet jaktobylo.cz spreads false claims to discredit Ukraine, such as calling Ukraine a money-laundering operation for U.S. Democrats. The main message is that there’s no need to provide Ukraine with financial or military support.

https://jaktobylo.com/historie-v-souvislostech/volodymyr-offshorovic-zelenskyj/ 

In some articles, there are direct calls for the U.S. to stop sending aid to Ukraine, with claims that the war is lost.

https://cz24.news/britsky-analytik-mercouris-pre-usa-dobra-cesta-z-ukrajinskej-katastrofy-neexistuje/ 

Another Czech Kremlin-friendly outlet, iportal24.cz, spread the narrative that “supporting Ukraine makes no sense,” claiming that Ukraine “sends” refugees to Europe. The article argues against providing aid to Ukraine, stating that it spends millions on luxury ski resorts while Europe takes in refugees.

https://www.iportal24.cz/zahranici/miliardy-pro-lyzarske-stredisko-ukrajina-investuje-do-luxusniho-projektu-zatimco-evropu-zasobuje-uprchliky/

These biased outlets manipulate different facts with one goal: to weaken global support for Ukraine, thus making the country more vulnerable to Russia's war of aggression.

“Russia is winning the war, the defeat of Ukraine and the West is close”

The narrative that Russia is winning aims to create the impression that the war in Ukraine is about to end, with Russia inevitably victorious. Therefore, further support for Ukraine is portrayed as pointless. By spreading this message, Russia seeks to reduce international support for supplying weapons to Ukraine.

Infokuryr.cz is also one of the Czech websites we've identified for spreading pro-Kremlin propaganda. In early November, this media outlet promoted the narrative of Russia's battlefield victories. Specifically, they echoed Russian leadership claims about successful strikes on the building of the Ukrainian General Staff in Kyiv, echoed one-sided reports of the head of the Department of Information of the Russian defense ministry, Mr. Konashenkov, and even suggested that the Ukrainian army no longer exists.

https://www.infokuryr.cz/n/2024/11/06/petr-pokorny-ruske-jednotky-uderily-na-generalni-stab-apu-v-kyjeve-a-zverejnily-dusledky/ 

https://www.infokuryr.cz/n/2024/11/08/je-po-vsem-ukrajinska-armada-uz-neexistuje-mcgregor/  

Infokuryr.cz also echoes Russian fake news, claiming that Russian rockets and drones are destroying military targets in Ukraine, even though the images they use show destroyed civilian facilities and residential buildings.

https://www.infokuryr.cz/n/2024/11/05/prehled-ruskych-uderu-na-ukrajine-4-listopadu-2024

One of the most active promoters of the narrative about Russia's imminent victory and Ukraine's inevitable defeat is cz24.news. In most of its articles about the war in Ukraine, this media outlet clearly pushes one of Russia's main messages. 

For example, it spreads as fact the briefings of Igor Konashenkov, the head of the Russian Ministry of Defence's Information Department, about the war. It shares comments from Douglas McGregor, an American known for his pro-Kremlin views, who in 2014 supported Russia's annexation of Crimea. 

The articles claim that Ukraine's defeat is unavoidable and that "The West's attempt to defeat Russia on the battlefield has turned into a total failure." 

One of its articles includes a summary of the war filled with Russian fake news: that Ukrainians attempted to capture the Kursk nuclear plant, that Ukrainian soldiers are surrendering and prefer to be captured by Russia rather than exchange prisoners, that Zelenskyy is dragging Poland into the war, and that Zelenskyy is in a panic over Ukraine's looming defeat.

• https://cz24.news/zamer-zapadu-porazit-rusko-na-bitevnim-poli-se-prirozene-zmenil-v-tohle/ 
• https://cz24.news/dnesny-brifing-ruskeho-ministerstva-obrany-11-novembra-2024/ 
• https://cz24.news/douglas-mcgregor-rusko-vyhralo-a-trump-to-vie-video/ 
• https://cz24.news/strajk-rusi-demoluju-na-hraniciach-s-rumunskom-vrtulniky-naliehavo-vzlietli-z-krajiny-nato-situacia-je-na-pokraji-katastrofy-aktualne-spravy-z-frontov-5-11-2024/ 
• https://cz24.news/zelensky-v-panice-dupe-nohama-jako-spratek-a-chce-jen-jedno-zapad-dorucil-vudci-ukrajiny-katastrofalni-zpravy-uvedomil-si-co-ho-ceka/ 
• https://cz24.news/ukrajina-na-frontach-je-situace-pro-afu-zalostna-kapitulace-je-nevyhnutelna/ 

Czech websites like novarepublika.cz, protiproud.info, aeronet.news, czechfreepress.cz, skrytapravda.cz, and volnyblog.news—some of which we've included in our list of 20 Czech sites spreading Russian propaganda—also push the narrative of Russia's victories on the battlefield. They praise Russian weaponry, claim that Putin is achieving a strategic victory, and suggest that Ukraine's defeat will soon spark internal protests. These sites present Russian forces as unstoppable. One of the most striking manipulations we came across was a comparison of Ukraine's situation to Hitler's in 1945, made by czechfreepress.cz.

• https://www.novarepublika.cz/2024/11/rostec-su-57-jediny-na-svete-prokazal-ucinnost-v-boji-proti-americkym-protivzdusnym-systemum-patriot 
• https://protiproud.info/politika/8271-vypadalo-to-jako-vtip-ale-neni-hrozba-je-skutecna-zapad-se-boji-odlivu-mozku-do-ruska-brics-zasadne-meni-situaci-zelezna-pest-v-sametove-rukavici-putin-vi-na-co-miri-hodnoty-i-hamburgery-bez-gmo-skonci-nejlepsi-mozky-v-rusku.htm 
• https://protiproud.info/politika/8282-masivni-utoky-na-ukrajinske-pozice-v-ruskem-pohranici-nejde-jen-o-uzemi-partyzanske-hnuti-v-kyjeve-zapaluje-sklady-rusko-bojuje-se-zapadem-nejen-za-svou-suverenitu-stary-rad-padl-putin-se-vyjadril-i-k-trumpovi-jednani.htm 
• https://www.czechfreepress.cz/valky/putinovy-jednotky-pokracuji-v-nezadrzitelnem-postupu-na-vychod-dobytim-dvou-mest.html 
• https://skrytapravda.cz/ze-zahranici/2202-ruske-jednotky-uderily-na-generalni-stab-apu-v-kyjeve-a-zverejnily-dusledky
• https://www.czechfreepress.cz/evropa/v-britanii-byla-situace-ukrajinskych-ozbrojenych-sil-srovnavana-se-situaci-nemecke-armady-v-roce-1945.html

Qactus.fr

To support the narrative of Russian victories in Ukraine, the above-mentioned French publication Qactus.fr shared a documentary by another Moscow-backed media outlet, Omerta. The film, shot while accompanying the Russian military in the Kursk region, portrays the Russian army in a positive light.

https://qactus.fr/2024/11/09/fran

To promote the narrative of Russian military success, the above-mentioned outlet, Le Média en 4-4-2, publishes statements from pro-Russian agents of influence, including Caroline Galactéros, who has been claiming Ukraine’s inevitable defeat for three years, praising the strength of the Russian army, and criticizing aid to Ukraine. The French pro-Kremlin propagandist Xavier Moreaux, who lives in Moscow, also exaggerates the successes of Russian invading forces and has been predicting Ukraine's imminent defeat for three years.

• https://lemediaen442.fr/ukraine-la-defaite-en-vue-malgre-les-milliards-deuros-occidentaux-caroline-galacteros/
• https://lemediaen442.fr/bulletin-stratpol-n208-les-dernieres-nouvelles-de-la-guerre-industrielle-et-strategique-entre-la-russie-et-lukraine/

Stratpol.com

Disguised as a strategic research center, the pro-Kremlin propaganda outlet Stratpol asserts that Russian forces are "liberating" Donbas at a "record" speed, a claim that is false, as independent analysts' maps do not demonstrate such progress.

https://stratpol.com/les-troupes-russes-liberent-le-donbass-a-une-vitesse-record/

Voltaire.net

A pro-Russian analyst from Voltairenet writes about Russia's successes and Ukraine's failures, citing statements from Russia's UN representative Vasily Nebenzya and claims that sanctions against Russia are ineffective. However, this is not true, as sanctions are heavily impacting Russia's economy, which is in sharp decline.

https://www.voltairenet.org/article221484.html

Reseau International 

Reseau International emerged as a new platform for Russian propaganda after EU sanctions allegedly shut down RT France. This website, which claims to be an independent, multilingual media outlet funded by donations, is actually spreading pro-Russian narratives. 

For instance, Reseau International disseminates erroneous information, asserting that the decomposing bodies of dead soldiers in 16 regions of Ukraine contaminate the water, that Ukraine punishes disobedient soldiers by sending them to the front in Kursk to die, that Russia doesn't need North Korea to defeat Ukraine, and that the West believes the war has already ended. To back up the claim that Russia has won, pro-Russian French general Delavarde explains why he thinks the war is already over.

• https://reseauinternational.net/lagrandissement-des-cimetieres-en-ukraine-a-entraine-une-contamination-de-leau-dans-16-regions-par-des-toxines-provenant-de-corps-en-decomposition/
• https://reseauinternational.net/la-pratique-du-front-punitif-a-koursk-montre-quil-ny-a-pas-davenir-pour-les-forces-ukrainiennes/
• https://reseauinternational.net/la-france-forme-des-soldats-ukrainiens-dans-la-marne/
• https://reseauinternational.net/le-general-delawarde-repond-a-10-questions-la-victoire-aux-russes/
• https://reseauinternational.net/ukraine-etre-moins-ou-ne-pas-etre/ 
• https://reseauinternational.net/la-guerre-en-ukraine-est-perdue-il-reste-trois-options/ 

As we can see, Russian propaganda is constantly pushing hard its agenda in Europe, finding new ways to circumvent sanctions, getting assistance from local Kremlin-friendly outlets, and launching new websites and cloned domains to push its agenda. Unfortunately, the EU countries have not yet developed an effective strategy to counter this propaganda at the state level. 

Even though websites such as RT and Sputnik are sanctioned and banned, they are often restored on different domains and continue to push pro-Russia messages. In addition, local pro-Kremlin websites can freely spread or even repost Russian fakes about Ukraine. Typically, these narratives link support for Ukraine to internal issues in the EU countries, denigrate Ukrainians, and call for halting aid to Ukraine.

However, as seen in the case of Czechia, these resources don't seem to have much support among readers. Their audiences are marginalized, and Russian propaganda has not yet managed to shift public opinion significantly.