Pro-Kremlin disinformation outlets targeted the European Parliament elections to smear leaders; sow distrust, flood the information space, drive wedges, project Russia’s own shortcomings onto the EU, and finally to dismiss the results.
By EUvsDisinfo | June 24, 2024 —
Table of Contents
On June 6-9 hundreds of millions of Europeans headed to the polls to cast their vote in the elections to the European Parliament. For the European people this is a crucial exercise of their unalienable democratic rights. For various hostile foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI) actors plotting to erode European values, this was also an occasion to attempt undermining democracy through disinformation, information manipulation and inference.
In a series of articles we exposed key tactics, techniques and procedures employed by pro-Kremlin manipulators and disinformation outlets in connections with the European Parliament elections. Let’s recap the pro-Kremlin attempts to smear leaders; sow distrust, doubt, and division; flood social media with falsehoods trying to turn the public against Ukraine; project Russia’s own shortcomings onto the EU to distract from the reality of Putin’s Russia and finally to dismiss the results and drive wedges.
Go after the leaders
Without explicitly mentioning democracy or elections, FIMI actors often aim undermine their legitimacy by other means. In this case, Russian state and pro-Kremlin outlets intensified efforts to manipulate the European Parliament elections by smearing key European leaders. The Kremlin targeted EU leaders with smear campaigns, twisting statements and spreading falsehoods. Prominent examples include false claims and homophobic attacks on French President Emmanuel Macron and his family, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU High Representative Josep Borrell. Such smear campaigns usually followed the leaders’ statements in support of Ukraine or against Russia’s war in Ukraine. Of course, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy was the primary target, facing extensive disinformation campaigns designed to erode European support for Ukraine. Read more.
Sow distrust and discontent
Russian state and pro-Kremlin disinformation outlets also aimed to sow distrust and discontent by exploiting existing political issues and undermining the EU’s credibility. The usual disinformation tactic is to portray the EU as dysfunctional and a puppet of Washington, using public demonstrations and extreme rhetoric to create the illusion of widespread European support for Russian policies. Popular topics for sowing distrust included Western support for Ukraine, cost of living, and EU sanctions against Russia. Pro-Kremlin outlets also used historical revisionism and nuclear scaremongering to instill fear and push for policies favourable to Moscow. These efforts sought to disrupt and discredit the elections and the broader EU system. Read more.
Flood the information space
Russian state and pro-Kremlin outlets also aimed to flood information spaces with falsehoods to turn the public against Ukraine and manipulate the EU’s public agenda. This “firehose of falsehoods” technique sought to overwhelm quality content with misleading narratives. The Kremlin’s extensive operation, supported by a substantial budget and various outlets in over 20 languages, spread disinformation globally. They used bots, AI and various tactics on social media to amplify their reach, exploiting public demonstrations and popular hashtags to insert disinformation. These efforts aimed to disrupt the elections and discredit the EU system by eroding public trust and manipulating perceptions. Read more.
Drag everyone down into the mud
Another manipulative tactic was to try to paint a negative picture of Europe to avoid uncomfortable comparisons with Russia. They used a technique called “whataboutism,” deflecting criticism by claiming the EU is equally corrupt and dysfunctional. The Kremlin sought to suggest that the EU elections are as flawed as those in Russia, promoting narratives of European collapse and conspiracy theories about a ‘global elite’. They paralleled their disinformation tactics from the COVID-19 pandemic, attacking EU democracy while highlighting Russian propaganda. These efforts sought to sour the atmosphere, discourage voter turnout, and prepare to reject the election results’ legitimacy. Read more.
Dismiss and drive wedges
After the European elections on 6-9 June, Russian state and pro-Kremlin outlets aimed to dismiss the results and create divisions. They claimed the elections lacked legitimacy and representation, framing the European Parliament as a “rubberstamp” for the European Commission. Pro-Kremlin outlets pushed the disinformation narrative that EU citizens’ voices would be ignored by Brussels’ elite. Russian officials sought to exploit the elections to fuel political instability, urging leaders like Macron and Scholz to resign. Other pro-Kremlin outlets sought to dismiss the elections by framing them as a referendum on support for Ukraine, predicting an imminent collapse of the West. These efforts aimed to undermine the election results and drive wedges within the EU. Read more.
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