Russia faked broadcasts from Sweden’s national TV to smear its PM—the same network already hit Germany and France this month
Germany's domestic intelligence agency, France's anti-disinformation body, and Swedish journalists all flagged the campaign in August.
On 18 August, Russia's Matryoshka bot network launched a disinformation campaign targeting Sweden, Germany, and France. The campaign, which had already affected the latter two nations this month, created fabricated video clips with the logos of trusted European media outlets, including SVT and Dagens Nyheter, as well as Euronews and Der Spiegel. These clips falsely accused Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson of election fraud and spread misleading information about elections in Sweden.
Antibot4navalny, a Russian opposition analysis group, identified the posts as originating from Matryoshka, a pro-Russian influence campaign. The network, also known as Operation Overload and Storm-1679, was initially exposed by Antibot4navalny in 2024 and operates alongside other Kremlin-linked disinformation networks such as the Doppelgänger campaign and Storm-1516.
While the fabricated posts rarely receive more than a few hundred or a few thousand genuine views, the campaign's primary goal is not to reach a wide audience. Instead, it aims to overwhelm newsrooms and fact-checking resources through a high volume of targeted requests, often disguised as verification requests. This strategy seeks to distract and overload newsrooms, making it challenging to separate fact from fiction.
In addition to targeting newsrooms, the Matryoshka network may also aim to generate media coverage that amplifies its message or makes it seem more influential than it truly is. The network has a history of targeting countries that support Ukraine, including Poland and the Baltic states, which face similar threats of sabotage linked to their support for Kyiv.
Polish and Baltic intelligence agencies have reported similar threats of sabotage in their countries. Russian operatives have reportedly been buying properties near military bases in these nations, suspected of planning further disruptive actions. Sweden has claimed to have stopped a Russian operation to discredit the country and the European Union, but no one will be prosecuted for this alleged campaign.
Written by urgent.news from Euromaidan Press's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
