Germany Warns of Russian Election Disinformation

German security sources are warning of escalating Russian-backed disinformation campaigns ahead of state elections, targeting primarily the political rivals of the Alternative for Germany party, whose leader has called for renewed relations with Moscow.

The goal of the campaigns, according to the sources, is to deepen societal polarization and undermine the ruling Christian Democratic Union, the Social Democratic Party of Germany, the Greens and the Free Democratic Party. Moscow has long denied accusations of organizing disinformation campaigns.

The German interior ministry has confirmed that it is monitoring the campaign, dubbed "Matryoshka". It has not yet taken active measures, such as removing videos, since the campaign does not have a significant online reach, the ministry said.

Security sources claim the operations are centrally coordinated from Russia through several companies. Videos in English bearing the logos of reputable media outlets, including the BBC and the German public broadcaster ARD, are circulating widely on social media, containing false accusations against local politicians ranging from embezzlement to sexual harassment.

The German government issued similar warnings ahead of last year's federal elections.

(Reuters, bak)