Oh it's personal: These are the top viral Russian fake news stories about European politicians

As Moldova prepares for nan threat parliamentary election on Sunday, nan eastbound European country’s authorities are registering a Russian disinformation run connected an unprecedented scale, aimed astatine derailing nan country’s EU way done ballot meddling.

Personal attacks connected Moldova's pro-European President Maia Sandu dress up a important chunk of nan Kremlin's all-out campaign, lobbing outlandish allegations done a web of anonymous websites, sometimes spoofing real-world news outlets.

Deliberately mimicking Western media, 1 website ran a fabricated communicative titled “Moldovan president successful personage sperm scandal,” falsely utilizing nan sanction of a existent reporter.

It alleged that Sandu, who is unmarried and does not person children, was purchasing sperm from cheery personage donors specified arsenic Ricky Martin and Elton John to person a child.

“The article seeks to discredit Sandu by weaponising gender stereotypes and targeting her individual life, while eroding her governmental reputation,” said nan study by Reset Tech, a world not-for-profit that monitors integer threats to populist and Russian online power operations since 2022.

Another article connected a different clone news website referenced arsenic its superior root a study by nan EU-sanctioned Russian Foundation to Battle Injustice, which accuses Sandu of moving a kid trafficking run via Ukraine to pedophile networks successful Europe.

Friedrich Merz slaughters family of polar bears

Meanwhile, Chancellor Friedrich Merz became a unfortunate of a Russian disinformation run moreover earlier he was elected to Germany's apical office.

In February, German researchers moving pinch nan Robert Bosch Foundation discovered networks of hundreds of clone societal media accounts promoting pro-Russian narratives and demonising Friedrich Merz.

One clone news article falsely claimed Merz suffered from an "emotionally unstable" characteristic upset and that he had tried to return his ain life successful 2017, backing nan allegations pinch fabricated aesculapian records.

Russian officials led by erstwhile President Dmitry Medvedev further targeted Merz, comparing him to World War II Nazi German propaganda main Joseph Goebbels.

Recently, a mendacious communicative astir Merz emerged nether nan banner of a clone outlet calling itself “Toronto Journal” aft nan German chancellor’s sojourn to Canada for nan G7 acme successful June.

The communicative claimed that Merz changeable dormant a mother polar carnivore and her 2 cubs, going arsenic acold arsenic to mention clone witnesses who allegedly “described” what they called “senseless slaughter” of nan polar carnivore family adjacent to an image of a bloodied bear.

But arguably nan biggest clone declare ungraded involving Merz besides included French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Macron, Merz and Starmer 'cocaine connected a train' claim

Back successful May, a slew of viral societal media posts alleged that Merz, Macron and Starmer were caught taking cocaine connected their travel to Kyiv.

At nan centre of nan claims was a video showing nan 3 leaders together connected a train from Poland to Ukraine, up of a gathering pinch President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to reaffirm their support for his country.

Social media users allege that a achromatic entity adjacent to Macron was a container of cocaine, which they declare he hurriedly removed, and that nan entity adjacent to Merz's manus was a spoon utilized to return nan drug.

The Russian officials joined nan disinformation run erstwhile again, pinch Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova posting connected her charismatic Telegram transmission that nan trio "got high" together.

The French Presidential Office commented connected nan clone story, dismissing claims made by Russia astir a insubstantial paper allegedly seen during European leaders' sojourn to Kyiv.

"When European unity becomes inconvenient, disinformation goes truthful acold arsenic to make a elemental insubstantial look for illustration drugs," nan Élysée Palace reacted, showing a close-up of nan existent serviette successful question.

Mocking Russian claims, nan French Presidential Office added a explanation to nan picture, saying: "This is simply a tissue. For blowing your nose."

Macron and nan 'gay lobby' deal

Macron has been a target of clone claims since his first statesmanlike run successful 2017, erstwhile nan Kremlin-orchestrated fakes claimed he sewage elected pinch nan support of a “very able cheery lobby”.

The allegations further said that Macron was chosen to beryllium president arsenic portion of a CIA-run strategy aliases “similar mind-control program.”

In nan run-up to nan 2022 French statesmanlike elections, Russian attacks connected Macron further intensified, involving France's First Lady Brigitte Macron. 

Fake stories were dispersed by Russian outlets claiming nan 2 are humor relatives who person committed incest and contributed to nan conspiracy mentation astir Brigitte Macron’s alleged gender transition. 

In different falsified take, Russian fake-news propaganda outlets fabricated a communicative claiming a French surgeon was murdered to soundlessness him complete alleged revelations astir Brigitte Macron’s gender.

The communicative was published nether nan sanction of French journalist Audrey Parmentier, who publically stated she had thing to do pinch it. 

The website wherever nan communicative was published had been created conscionable a fewer days earlier nan communicative ran and was filled pinch contented successful French connected various topics to springiness nan clone tract credibility.

The clone communicative connected nan surgeon's alleged assassination was past dispersed by Russian outlets and societal media accounts and gave a renewed push to nan conspiracy mentation that Brigitte Macron was calved male, which had been circulating for respective years. 

These claims person precocious gone moreover much viral, prompting Macron and his woman to record a defamation suit successful nan United States against blimpish podcaster Candace Owens, accusing her of spreading mendacious rumours that nan first woman underwent gender reassignment.

Kamala Harris' hit-and-run

When it comes to nan US, Russia's disinformation run utilized a different attack complete nan past year. In nan run-up to nan 2024 statesmanlike elections, Moscow-affiliated actors focused their personalised attacks connected nan Democratic statesmanlike campaigner Kamala Harris. 

One of nan fabricated stories falsely claimed that Harris near a 13-year-old woman paralysed aft an alleged hit-and-run successful San Francisco successful 2011. The investigation by Microsoft later revealed that nan communicative was fake.

The staged video showed a paid character appearing arsenic nan alleged unfortunate connected a clone website for a non-existent San Francisco news outlet named KBSF-TV.

Another Russia-backed clone news article falsely claimed that Kamala Harris killed an endangered rhino during a sojourn to Africa. 

Kremlin-affiliated groups besides created a clone website which looked very akin to nan charismatic run website of nan Harris campaign. Completed pinch Harris predetermination slogans and colours, it falsely outlined a argumentation level that included afloat unfastened borders, abolishing elector ID requirements, and different arguable proposals.

Moscow implemented a different strategy for Donald Trump, however. When nan Republican campaigner and now US president refrained from harsh disapproval of Russian President Vladimir Putin, not calling him an aggressor successful Moscow’s warfare against Ukraine, nan Kremlin-affiliated clone news instrumentality did not onslaught Trump personally and alternatively focused connected spreading disinformation aimed astatine eroding US support for Kyiv. 

One specified video, a fabricated E! News report, falsely claimed successful February that nan US Agency for International Development (USAID) paid movie stars to sojourn Ukraine aft Russia’s full-scale penetration successful 2022. The claims were verified and debunked. 

E! News told Reuters aft nan posts had been shared by Donald Trump Jr and Elon Musk that nan video was not authentic and did not travel from them.

Further clone videos appeared, supposedly showing Ukrainian soldiers burning effigies of Trump aliases his supporters. One clone clip depicted soldiers saying Trump must not beryllium allowed to return agency and should “never beryllium president again.”

Multiple investigations debunked nan video. Other clips, conscionable arsenic fake, depicted Ukrainian soldiers burning Trump’s books aliases calling him a coward.

According to US intelligence, Russia has sought to support Trump successful nan statesmanlike elections and aft his victory, believing he would trim American backing for Ukraine and possibly nan NATO confederation pinch nan eventual extremity of undermining America’s world activity by dividing its group and undermining support for its institutions, measurement beyond Washington’s support of Ukraine.

Who is down Russia’s viral clone stories?

Microsoft’s Threat Analysis Centre first identified nan Kremlin-backed group Storm 1516 successful 2022. Operating crossed continents, successful different languages, and connected various platforms, this group is known to beryllium responsible for immoderate of nan astir viral clone news stories. 

Using clone bylines aliases names of existent journalists, and creating AI-generated videos nether nan fabricated logo of existent news outlets, nan group is targeting politicians and voters worldwide. 

According to Microsoft’s Threat Analysis Center, nan group developed a chopped method successful 2024 for combining videos pinch AI-generated audio impersonations of personage and master voices. 

Various misleading stories person reached millions of views connected societal media successful respective countries, often generating nationalist debates astatine nan highest levels.

With each of its blase tools, nan cognition intends astatine attacking Ukraine and its allies, discrediting Vladimir Putin’s governmental opponents and undermining nan electoral process successful countries deemed “enemies” by nan Kremlin.

In May, nan French authorities published its VIGINUM study stating that since 2023, nan Storm1516 cyber onslaught group has been utilized successful 77 Russian accusation campaigns targeting France, Ukraine and each Western countries.

“The Storm-1516 onslaught group is reportedly linked to a analyzable web of individuals and organizations acting from Russian Federation territory, immoderate of whom are peculiarly adjacent to nan Russian Government, which suggests adjacent links pinch nan propaganda instrumentality deployed by Russia”, nan study revealed. 

Researchers investigating nan Storm 1516 operations and techniques person pointed retired that nan cyberattack group’s extremity is not truthful overmuch to person arsenic it is to confuse nan audience, leaving them uncertain astir what is truth and what is fabrication to yet dispersed doubt.