How pro-Russian propaganda stirs internal conflicts in EU: key narratives

By supporting radical and far-right voices, they push narratives of "social injustice" and "elite control." To cut a long story short, the goal is to make Europeans believe their governments are ruining their countries. The narrative specifically targeted nations that assist Ukraine in resisting Russian military aggression.

If we look closely at news outlets in any European country, it’s simple to spot those spreading Russian propaganda and disinformation. The narratives they push reveal Russia’s true goals, and weakening support for Ukraine (to make it more vulnerable to Russian attacks) is one of them.

In the first article of this research, we covered how Russian media and pro-Kremlin websites spread narratives about Russia's victories on the battlefield and the uselessness of supporting Ukraine. 

This article focuses on the efforts of pro-Russian outlets in Europe to demonize the leadership of European Union member states and institutions, promoting narratives such as "EU leaders are leading their countries to ruin" and "The West is in decline, and a new world order with BRICS is coming." These two were among the most popular narratives pushed by Russia in the first half of November.

“EU leaders are leading their countries to ruin”

In November, Cz24.news, which we’ve previously exposed here for spreading propaganda, promoted in the Czech Republic the idea of hidden foreign control in Poland. In an article about Poland’s plans to build a defense wall on its border with Russia and Belarus, it claims that Polish Prime Minister Tusk “is trying to impress his Western masters, but this will ruin the country’s economy.”

• https://cz24.news/rusofobny-zapal-vedie-hyenu-europy-k-nevyhnutnemu-bankrotu/ 

On November 8, the Czech media outlet Czechfreepress.cz published an article titled "The EU, as it is, is bad for us!" which clearly promotes the thought that the EU harms Europeans, especially by “severely punishing countries that don't comply with its demands.”

• https://www.czechfreepress.cz/dalsi-blogy/eu-aka-je-nam-skodi.html

In early November, to comment on the news that Czech President Petr Pavel had authorized 60 Czech citizens who wanted to fight for Ukraine, the Infokuryr.cz outlet quoted a single statement from Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova, who claimed that the Czech president neglects his people. The headline calls President Pavel "Agent Pávek."

• https://www.infokuryr.cz/n/2024/11/05/agent-pavek-alias-petr-pavel-umoznil-ceskym-obcanum-bojovat-na-strane-ukrajiny/  

On November 4, the website Pokec24.cz republished a story from another pro-Russian outlet, První Zprávy, using the name of Czech General Karel Řehka to spread the claim that there is a military junta in the country. Řehka has repeatedly said the Czech Republic needs to strengthen its army because of Russia’s war in Ukraine.

• https://www.pokec24.cz/politika/odvolejte-juntu-driv-nez-bude-pozde/ 

In November, Pokec24.cz also tried to discredit Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president and strong supporter of Ukraine. The pro-Kremlin site twisted her comments about creating a European spy agency, using a user’s remark from another outlet for the headline: "Abwehr or Gestapo? Ursula von der Leyen wants her spy service."

• https://www.pokec24.cz/politika/abwehr-nebo-gestapo-ursula-von-der-leyenova-chce-svoji-spionazni-agenturu/ 

In France, Qactus.fr, a website known for its anti-Western and pro-Russian content, published an article spreading conspiracy theories about the Spanish government. The article claims that Spanish authorities knew about the floods in Valencia and were working with the "global financial elite" on a secret plan to control the country. The piece quotes pro-Russian, anti-government conspiracy theorists Silvano Trotta (Italy) and Tatiana Ventôse (France).

• https://qactus.fr/2024/11/10/espagne-coincidence-ou-complot-la-caixabank-et-le-gouvernement-espagnol-ont-ils-prevu-les-inondations-a-valence/

As we previously mentioned, Russia's disinformation machine often uses right-wing radical groups in Europe to spread its ideas. In November, the notorious French outlet Le Média en 4-4-2 continued its campaign against the current French government. The outlet quoted Florian Philippot, the pro-Russian, anti-EU leader of the far-right party Les Patriotes, who spread the false claim that the French government is planning early presidential elections. He accused Macron of trying to manipulate the process.

• https://lemediaen442.fr/macron-sur-le-depart-florian-philippot-annonce-que-les-partis-politiques-se-preparent-a-une-presidentielle-anticipee/ 

In a manipulative story published in November, Le Média en 4-4-2 once again cited Philippot, who mocks Emmanuel Macron by calling for his impeachment and harshly criticizing his foreign policy, implying that it could lead to his downfall.

• https://lemediaen442.fr/florian-philippot-elysee-en-crise-macron-a-lair-paume-on-ne-comprend-pas-ce-quil-fait-dapres-un-ministre/

The German news website Pi-news.net had previously tried to scare its readers by claiming that the escalation of the war in Ukraine could trigger a major European war, possibly even a world war (in other words, don’t send weapons to Ukraine, or you’ll anger Putin).

In November, this biased outlet wrote about how the so-called "fight against the right" is no longer bound by any limits. The article specifically mentioned the nationalist, right-wing populist, pro-Russian political party Alternative for Germany (AfD), claiming that the party is under pressure and efforts are being made to destroy it.

• https://www.pi-news.net/2024/11/goetz-kubitschek-es-geht-nicht-um-recht-es-geht-um-macht/

RT en français, the French version of Russian state propaganda media RT, has avoided EU bans and is now spreading lies about EU leaders. In November, it conveyed to its audience that Putin accuses Europe of lacking intelligence and that politicians, lacking economic knowledge, make overly politicized and unrealistic economic decisions.

• https://francais.rt.com/international/114568-vladimir-poutine-sur-europe-il-russie

This month, RT's French edition attempted to demonstrate "the incompetence" of European leaders by exploiting people's concerns about rising prices.

• https://francais.rt.com/international/114554-penuries-gaz-europe-hiver

"The West is declining and a new world order with BRICS is coming"

In November, Vladimir Putin revealed his new plan for a “world order.” Basically, Russia declared its plan to place BRICS over the West, which is allegedly already in decline. As with many Russian plans, this one also comes with a strong propaganda campaign. Pro-Russian platforms in Europe are already pushing propaganda content to convince people that the EU is gradually collapsing.

In November, the pseudo-analyst on the Czech website Infokuryr.cz discussed the growing divisions within the EU. He claimed that countries like Georgia, Turkey, and Serbia are not rushing to join and claimed that even Moldova recently rejected EU membership in a referendum. The analyst argues that the only reason the EU got a positive result in Moldova was due to manipulation, including opening more than 200 polling stations across European countries to influence the vote.

• https://www.infokuryr.cz/n/2024/11/11/mame-v-evrope-slavit-sve-narozeniny-nebo-se-pripravit-na-posledni-cestu/ 

Espreso TV has previously reported on widespread voter bribery in Moldova by Russian actors ahead of the referendum on EU accession. See our article on the pro-Russian narratives being pushed in Moldova.

On November 12, the pro-Kremlin French website Ripostelaique.com published an article by a pro-Kremlin author, Marc Rousset, who urged France to leave NATO and ally with Russia. He claimed Russia acts as Europe’s shield against threats from China, Turkey, the Caucasus, the Middle East, and Central Asia. According to him, Europe should view itself as part of Russia, with Russia’s vast territory serving as Europe’s "Far East."

• https://ripostelaique.com/la-france-doit-quitter-lotan-et-sallier-avec-la-russie.html

In November, the pro-Kremlin French website Stratpol reported that at the Valdai Forum, Putin outlined the principles of a future world order, criticizing "Western hegemony." This outlet's self-proclaimed experts confidently assert that Putin's vision will be inevitably implemented.

• https://stratpol.com/poutine-formule-les-principes-du-nouvel-ordre-mondial-au-club-valdai/

The same message is echoed by the Czech news outlet Czechfreepress.cz. The authors translated Putin's speech from the Valdai Forum and claim that a new world order is being created.

• https://www.czechfreepress.cz/rusko/putinuv-projev-po-trumpove-vitezstvi-pred-ocima-se-nam-formuje-zcela-novy-svetovy-rad.html

In November, an article by Spanish-language platform, PiensaChile, claimed that a new world order is emerging, with the West in decline. It argues that the future will be a multipolar world and that NATO is just a leftover from the old system.

• https://piensachile.com/2024/07/23/el-bloque-capitalista-occidental-se-niega-a-aceptar-la-nueva-realidad-geopolitica/ 

French pro-Kremlin outlet Réseau International, which claims to be independent and funded by donations, is actually pushing pro-Russian messages, including claims that the Western world is on the brink of collapse. In an article titled “Ukraine, Trump, energy: The EU and France in agony?” Thierry Mariani, a pro-Russian politician, talks about Europe’s “obsession” with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

• https://reseauinternational.net/ukraine-trump-energie-lue-et-la-france-a-lagonie/

The Odysee platform has become a place for spreading the views of French pro-Kremlin propagandist Xavier Moreau, who is based in Moscow. His YouTube channel was closed in 2022 by the platform for spreading disinformation. On a new platform, Moreau continues to claim that the Western world is collapsing, and a new world order will emerge, led by the BRICS. 

• https://odysee.com/@STRATPOL:d/2103comp2:3?src=embed&t=2052.270005 

In November, the French outlet Voltairenet, which often promotes conspiracy theories about the United States, claimed that after Trump's victory and the expansion of the BRICS group, there will be a shift in the world order and a decline in the power of the United States. 

• https://www.voltairenet.org/article221486.html

In November, the French-language propaganda website Les Moutons Enrages spread a manipulated story about France’s decline and the inevitable collapse of its economy.

• https://lesmoutonsenrages.fr/2024/11/11/et-maintenant-leffondrement-francais/

Putin's offer to give asylum to people from Western countries fleeing "decline and neoliberalism" was featured on the pro-Kremlin French website Strategika, through Fabrice Sorlin, a Frenchman living in Russia who supports Moscow and claims the West is in decline.

• https://strategika.fr/2024/11/18/echapper-a-la-decadence-occidentale-en-russie-chocs-du-monde-avec-fabrice-sorlin/

Anti-Spiegel is a pro-Kremlin German media outlet run by Thomas Röper, which constantly spreads narratives aligned with Russian propaganda. Anti-Spiegel also frequently quotes the German-language Telegram channel “Neues aus Russland Alina Lipp,” run from Russia by a German blogger Alina Lipp, which promotes anti-Ukrainian views.

In November 2024, Anti-Spiegel published a story claiming that Russia is actually doing better under sanctions. The article backs up what Russian propagandists have been saying all along: that Russia isn't suffering from sanctions and might actually be better off than before.

• https://anti-spiegel.ru/2024/russland-geht-es-mit-den-sanktionen-sogar-besser-als-vorher/

Russian interference and hybrid efforts target European democracies

Russian propaganda is steadily advancing its goal in Europe by seeking creative ways to avoid sanctions, backed by local Kremlin-friendly media outlets, and launching new websites and cloned domains to carry its messages.

Kremlin-funded platforms RT and Sputnik are not alone in these efforts, as local pro-Russian publications can freely share or even republish Russian fakes about Ukraine. As seen in this analysis, these narratives denigrate Ukraine and the European political leadership and fuel divisions and internal conflicts in the EU.

Ultimately, Russian interference and hybrid efforts target European democracies. The EU countries regretfully still lack workable counter-strategies to halt or even prevent pro-Russian disinformation and propaganda campaigns.

In the third article of this series, we will examine pro-Russian media outlets that target European audiences, presenting narratives such as "The West is to blame for the war in Ukraine" and "The neo-Nazi junta in Ukraine."