Germany has identified a vast
“pro-Russian disinformation campaign”
using thousands of fake
X
accounts (ex-Twitter) and aimed at stoking anger over the country's support for Ukraine, says
Der Spiegel
Friday.
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Experts commissioned by the German Foreign Ministry used specialized software to monitor messages published on the online platform
X
between December 20 and January 20, writes the weekly.
They allegedly came across more than
50,000 fake user accounts which, together, published more than a million messages in German on
X.
Among the recurring themes of their messages was the accusation that the government of Chancellor Olaf Scholz was neglecting the people of his country to help Ukraine in its war against Russia, according to
Der Spiegel
, which said it relied on extracts from the 'investigation.
“A global threat factor”
The accounts also often link to fake news on websites designed to resemble those of authentic news outlets, according to Spiegel.
Experts believe that their discovery is part of the
“Doppelgänger”
disinformation campaign attributed to Russia as part of its
“hybrid war”
against the West and well known to the authorities.
This
“Doppelgänger”
operation , brought to light in 2022, consists of usurping the visual identity of media to distil false information.
Asked at a regular press conference, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs declined to comment on the article.
Disinformation has
“become a global threat factor”
, aiming to destabilize Western societies, including in Germany, she commented.
These revelations come against a backdrop of growing concern about the dangers of increasingly sophisticated disinformation in 2024, a year that will see nearly half the planet affected by elections.
Three regional elections are taking place in September in eastern Germany, where the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is leading the polls.
In June, some 400 million people in the EU are called to the polls in the European Parliament election.
The head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, warned this week that 2024 would be a
“crucial year”
in the fight against disinformation emanating from actors such as Russia.
The World Economic Forum recently estimated that disinformation is among the greatest risks to humanity, with its widespread use potentially
“undermining the legitimacy of newly elected governments
. ”