cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/12302787

With the French presidential election months away, Russia's disinformation machine works to ensure no pro-Ukraine candidate enters the Elysee Palace. Viginum, the French agency that counters foreign interference, has already detected hundreds of disinformation operations targeting the vote, whose outcome will have major ramifications for Ukraine and Europe. Moscow-linked campaigns have spread false claims that center-left Raphael Glucksmann helped set up torture prisons in Ukraine, that President Emmanuel Macron's protege Gabriel Attal inherited a drug empire, or that the centrist candidate Edouard Philippe suffers from dementia. A victory by one of these three candidates would signal that Paris will stay on its pro-Ukraine, pro-European course — making them a primary target for Russia. ... Undermining them ahead of the April 2027 election could pave the way for a runoff between far-right Marine Le Pen and far-left Jean-Luc Melenchon. Smearing France's pro-Ukraine candidates Glucksmann, the co-leader of the center-left Place Publique (PP) party, ranks among the most decisively pro-Ukraine voices on the French political scene. The social democratic MEP lambasted European leaders for not doing enough to help Kyiv and urged the seizure of immobilized Russian assets. It comes as little surprise that he found himself one of the primary targets of Russian-backed disinformation. ... Two notorious Russian-linked campaigns have targeted French elections. Matryoshka, which pushes out a dozen false reports a day while posing as established media outlets or experts, is the most prolific, says Chine Labbe, the senior vice-president for partnerships and managing editor for Europe at NewsGuard. "As of mid-October 2026, we had counted 89 fake Matryoshka reports targeting French presidential candidates." The other is Storm-1516, a more sophisticated campaign linked to the GRU that uses generative AI to set up whole new websites. "Since this summer, we have counted seven claims from this operation targeting French candidates, three of which imitated real news outlets," Labbe told the Kyiv Independent. According to Viginum, the fake news stories targeting Philippe and Glucksmann in the summer were carried out by Storm-1516. The same operation was behind more recent false reports — posing as the French environmental news site Reporterre — that Glucksmann spent over 2 million euros ($2.2 million) on private jet flights, the independent Gnida Project reported. .... The fact that the three centrist, pro-Kyiv candidates are the main target of these operations is also a clear clue of Russian involvement. "The false claims typically portray them as mentally unstable, corrupt, and generally unfit for office, echoing the Russian-backed false claims that have targeted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in recent years," Labbe said. Paris has emerged as one of Kyiv's key military allies since Russia launched its full-scale war, providing long-range missiles, fighter jets, artillery, and more. Macron has also played a leading role in the Coalition of the Willing, a group of nations committed to providing aid and post-war security guarantees to Ukraine. A victory by far-right or far-left candidates would likely call this role into question. ... But support for Ukraine is far from the only issue that Russian disinformation seeks to exploit. Amelie Jaques-Apke, a disinformation and foreign influence expert at Sciences Po's CEVIPOF research center, identifies the erosion of trust in French democratic institutions as the chief goal. "Damaging individual candidates is the visible tactic. The more durable objective is to make whatever result emerges look illegitimate," Jaques-Apke told the Kyiv Independent. However, the actual impact of these campaigns on French voters is more difficult to gauge. Viginum described the operations as "mediocre" and "lacking visibility." "The real risk lies in amplification," Jaques-Apke says. "These fakes gain reach when they are picked up by Russian officials or state media, by pro-Russian figures in the West, or when politicians denounce them loudly and unintentionally spread them further." Furthermore, Russian disinformation continues to evolve, deploying generative AI to produce more convincing fakes, professionalizing its operations, and monetizing divisive content, the expert warns. "(The campaigns') limited impact so far is therefore no guarantee for April." ... Archived

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/12298189

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/12297570

The Russian “Matryoshka” bot network has launched a campaign on social media promoting claims that Ukraine operates “secret prisons” where military personnel and foreigners are tortured. Researchers with the Antibot4Navalny project, which tracks pro-Russian bot activity on social media, provided The Insider with information on more than 10 fake videos and posts. ... The main fabricated narratives include: • Azov fighters allegedly kidnapped Europeans for ransom and then killed them. A video bearing the logo of Polish broadcaster TVP World claims that two Polish citizens may have been among those held in the “secret prison.” The kidnappers allegedly demanded 30,000 euros for their release, but contact with the hostages was lost after the money was handed over. The video also claims that two French volunteers who fought on Ukraine’s side may have been kidnapped. • A video styled as a Human Rights Watch report claims that hundreds of secret prisons operate in Ukraine. Citing the rights organization, it alleges that hidden basements are used for torture, killings, and blackmail. • French publication Franc-Tireur is falsely presented as reporting that a mass grave containing the bodies of 64 people was discovered on the grounds of a purported secret prison in the Kyiv Region. • A video designed to look like a Euronews report claims that Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Ukrainian president’s office, knew of the existence of secret prisons in the country. Its creators allege that European partners repeatedly warned Kyiv that disclosure of information about torture could undermine support for Ukraine among EU countries. • Another video, styled as material from the UN initiative “Stop Rape Now — UN Action Against Sexual Violence in Conflict,” claims that the supposedly “freed” 14-year-old boy was also subjected to sexual violence. The creators allege that such crimes were routinely committed in “secret prisons” and that people in France now intend to demand that President Emmanuel Macron’s government stop funding Ukraine. ... Archived

Coordinators based in the Russian Federation had assigned it a wide range of targets across the region, including both state-owned and private arms manufacturing facilities, as well as other sites of military and industrial interest. This case is part of a broader campaign of sabotage operations orchestrated by the Russian Federation in Europe. Investigations conducted this year have also uncovered other attempts targeting sites in Romania, including international military facilities or locations used for the training of Ukrainian armed forces,' the SRI states.