The report, released on Wednesday, examines foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI), a term referring to state-backed efforts to distort information, spread propaganda and influence public opinion.
The EEAS found that in 2024 alone, more than 90 countries and over 300 organizations worldwide were targeted by such campaigns.
The vast majority of attacks originated from Russia and China, which focused their efforts on events ranging from the Paris Olympics and Paralympics to farmers’ protests in Germany and presidential elections in Moldova and Romania.
'Weapon of war'
Speaking at a press conference in Brussels, the European Union’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, warned that foreign actors use disinformation to manipulate public opinion, deepen political divisions and interfere in democratic processes.
"The goal is to destabilize our societies, undermine democracy, and drive a wedge between the EU and its partners," Kallas said.
She described FIMI as "a weapon of war."
According to the report, the third of its kind, Russia’s disinformation efforts remain most concentrated on Ukraine, where more than half of all recorded incidents have taken place.
These campaigns are aimed at weakening Ukrainian morale and discouraging resistance to Russia’s invasion, while also targeting Ukraine’s Western allies—especially the United States, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the Group of Seven (G7), and the European Union.
Poland and Germany have been singled out as key targets, with Moscow seeking to erode their support for Kyiv.
Election meddling
FIMI tactics have also been deployed against countries seeking EU membership, such as Georgia and Serbia, where disinformation campaigns have sought to undermine confidence in the bloc’s policies and values.
With more than half of the world’s population voting in elections last year, disinformation campaigns increasingly targeted electoral processes.
The EEAS report notes that these efforts often began well before election day and continued even after results were announced.
During the European Parliament elections in June last year, authorities documented 42 attempts at interference.
Similar operations were detected in presidential elections in Taiwan and the United States, as well as in Moldova, where a referendum on EU accession was also targeted.
Parliamentary elections in Georgia, France and Romania saw disinformation spread via social media platforms, particularly TikTok, where a far-right, pro-Russian candidate was promoted through manipulated content.
Preventive measures
Concerns over election-related disinformation have led governments to take preventive measures.
In February, Germany asked the European Commission to convene a meeting with major online platforms to ensure they could manage election-related disinformation effectively.
In Poland, a similar initiative was discussed ahead of this spring's presidential election, but the proposal faced opposition from some political groups.
Kallas highlighted the scale of Russia’s digital disinformation efforts, which range from automated bot networks and artificial intelligence-generated content to the creation of fake news websites.
"Last year, the Kremlin forged websites of major newspapers like Le Monde, Die Welt, and The Guardian to spread disinformation,” she said.
Foreign disinformation networks
Social media remains the primary tool for spreading false narratives.
According to the report, the X platform, formerly known as Twitter, was responsible for 88 percent of detected disinformation activity.
To combat foreign disinformation networks, the EU has built the world’s largest database of disinformation cases, known as EU vs Disinfo.
The database has identified over 18,000 instances of Kremlin-backed disinformation and was accessed by 38 million users last year.
Kallas said that exposing disinformation networks is an effective strategy since establishing new ones is costly for those behind them.
She also noted that in December, the EU imposed its first-ever sanctions against Russia and its allies for engaging in hybrid attacks.
(rt/gs)
Source: PAP