Maternová: Russia Spread Around 250,000 Fakes About Ukraine’s EU Accession Over 16 Months

EU Ambassador Katarína Maternová has revealed that Russia has been engaging in a vast disinformation campaign against Ukraine's European integration efforts over a span of 16 months. The campaign, according to Maternová, involves a significant investment of resources and a team of skilled individuals to create and disseminate false information.

Recent analysis by the European External Action Service and Ukraine's Center for Countering Disinformation suggests that around 250,000 posts containing fake news about Ukraine's EU accession appeared during this period, garnering nearly 1.4 billion views.

Maternová emphasizes that Russia's focus on Ukraine's EU accession is not merely about misleading people, but about undermining the implementation of European values such as freedom of speech, freedom of the media, free access to information, and transparent institutions. She highlights that these values are crucial for the democratic project, enabling citizens to access information and journalists to ask difficult questions and hold power accountable.

Moreover, she notes that Ukraine has made progress in media freedom rankings, rising from 62nd to 55th place in the World Press Freedom Index within a year, even amidst the war. This progress is not merely a matter of rankings, but reflects the very essence of the democratic project, ensuring citizens' access to information and enabling independent media to scrutinize power.