The false news story is just one example of a rising tide of Russian disinformation targeting European leaders. Among them, Germany\u2019s Merz, in office for just four months, has rapidly become a key target of Russia\u2019s relentless\u00a0campaign due in great part to his steadfast support of Ukraine, according to experts and intelligence authorities.<\/p>\n
\u201cGermany is a particular focus,\u201d said a Western intelligence official. \u201cRussia is able to quickly and flexibly pick up on events in Germany and use them to achieve its goals in the information environment. It is frightening how fast and adaptable this system is, but also how long-term it is designed to be.\u201d<\/p>\n
Experts say there\u2019s little secret as to why Merz has become a main target.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith his very, very outspoken support for Ukraine\u00a0\u2014\u00a0how he has mobilized the international community to support Ukraine, and is vocal against Russia\u00a0\u2014\u00a0these campaigns have more aggressively targeted Merz,\u201d said Pablo Maristany de las Casas, an analyst at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD), who focuses on disinformation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018Fake or true?!\u2019<\/p>\n
The steady drumbeat of false reports frequently feature on sham news sites, sometime mixed in with legitimate news stories copied from real news sources, and gain traction after they are spread online by a network of pro-Kremlin influencers.<\/p>\n