Between February and October 2023, 8296 pieces containing Russian disinformation were published in Germany, Italy, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary. This was discovered in research by VoxCheck, a Ukrainian fact-checking project.
Research by VoxCheck on the spread of Russian disinformation in Europe — video
An average of 920 publications containing hoaxes were posted each month, versus 403 publications per month between February 24, 2022, and January 2023, for a total of 4836 publications.
The main subjects of Russian disinformation in European media outlets
According to Myroslava Markova, senior analyst at VoxCheck, their team identified 43 new propagandistic narratives in 2023. Most of them are about the Ukrainian counteroffensive and aim to discredit the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Thus, widely spread disinformation narratives include the alleged mass surrender of Ukrainian soldiers and violations of human rights during mobilization.
Another common subject is the provision of Western weapons to Ukraine. The paid articles also push the trope of the West using Ukraine for its own purposes and not allowing it to negotiate peace.
In addition, the experts noted the spread of fake news claiming that Ukraine allegedly blew up the Kakhovka HPP. This hoax is aimed at describing Ukraine as a terrorist country.
Countering the spread of pro-Russian hoaxes
VoxCheck experts created a catalog of verified and propagandist media outlets to counter disinformation.
The analysts also compiled a list of widely used false claims in nine languages. In addition, they developed a tool to monitor the dynamics of propaganda messages.
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