EUvsDisinfo
@EUvsDisinfo • 80,813 subscribers
We counter Kremlin information warfare, one claim at a time | Not official EU position
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Both as Russia's culture minister and later as a presidential aide, Vladimir Medinsky repeatedly denied Ukraine's right to exist. In a revealing choice about its intentions, the Kremlin appointed him its chief peace negotiator. Last week, he was added to the EU sanctions list.
EUvsDisinfo39,329 views • 4 days ago
More than 20,000 Ukrainian children have been forcibly transferred and deported by Russia, as documented by international investigators, human rights organisations, and Ukrainian authorities. Hundreds or even thousands of kilometres away from their homes and families, they are subjected to so-called ‘educational programmes’ designed to erase their Ukrainian identity. Millions more in Ukraine have been deprived of a safe childhood by the brutal Russian invasion. Russia’s systematic violations of children’s rights cannot go unpunished. Coordinated international action is needed more than ever to trace and return every child home.
EUvsDisinfo269,251 views • 2 months ago
The Wikipedia wars As Wikipedia approaches its 25th anniversary in 2026, its open editing model faces a growing challenge: coordinated edit wars. In these campaigns, Kremlin-aligned actors try to rewrite history, launder disinformation, and lock distorted narratives into one of the world’s most trusted reference platforms. Founded on the idea that volunteers could collaboratively build a neutral, reliable encyclopaedia, Wikipedia has become one of the most influential information platforms ever created. It is often described as the world’s largest crowd-sourced knowledge project, built on consensus and verifiable sources. In recent years, however, it has also become a frontline in geopolitical information warfare. This is most visible in so-called edit wars: prolonged conflicts where opposing groups repeatedly overwrite and revise articles to control historical narratives. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, these battles have intensified. Kremlin-aligned actors have systematically targeted articles related to Eastern Europe, the Soviet past, and contemporary political leaders. Estonia and especially EU leader Kaja Kallas, Estonia’s former prime minister, have been frequent targets. What are edit wars? An edit war happens when editors repeatedly change the same content instead of resolving disputes through discussion. Wikipedia officially discourages this behaviour and emphasises consensus, neutrality, and reliable sources. In practice, however, edit wars can and do break out. Coordinated editors can use endurance, procedural rules, and administrator complaints to exhaust good faith contributors. The goal is rarely to win a single argument. Instead, it is to wear down opposition, freeze pages at favourable moments, and normalise contested language. Once a page is locked or protected, the version in place gains a sense of legitimacy, even if it reflects a distorted view. Edit wars exploit open systems, operate over long periods, and aim to embed manipulated narratives into reference material rather than spreading short-lived falsehoods. Multiple investigations show that Wikipedia manipulation increased sharply after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Russian-language Wikipedia and parts of the English version became arenas for systematic narrative control, especially as independent Russian media was shut down. Wikipedia’s openness, once a strength, had suddenly become a vulnerability. Coordinated editor networks have worked to soften descriptions of Russian aggression, reframe invasions as ‘conflicts’, and question the legitimacy of post-Soviet states. These efforts rely on subtle wording changes, selective sourcing, and procedural tactics rather than obvious vandalism. Estonia and EU officials as targets Estonia shows how edit wars are used for historical revisionism and political influence. Since 2022, English-language Wikipedia articles about Estonia’s history, statehood, and politics have faced sustained pressure. One recurring tactic has been changing the birthplaces of hundreds of Estonian public figures from ‘Estonia’ to ‘Estonian SSR, Soviet Union’, despite the legal consensus that Estonia was occupied, not legitimately incorporated, by the USSR between 1940 and 1991. This is not a minor wording issue. Calling Estonia a ‘Soviet republic’ supports the Russian claim that the Baltic states voluntarily joined the USSR and directly contradicts the position of Estonia, the EU, NATO countries, and international law. Historical topics have also been targeted. The Estonian War of Independence between 1918 and 1920 has at times been reframed as an ‘offensive campaign’ or ‘separatism from Russia’, language that closely mirrors contemporary Kremlin rhetoric. High-profile figures are especially vulnerable because their pages attract constant attention and frequent administrative action. The Wikipedia article on Kaja Kallas has repeatedly been edited to reflect Russian-aligned interpretations of history and geopolitics. At key moments, the page was locked while these contested narratives were in place, blocking corrective edits. Page protection, meant to prevent disruption, instead helped freeze a favourable version of the article. This shows how procedural tools can be exploited as effectively as false information. Why Wikipedia matters Wikipedia is not just another website. It ranks highly in search results and serves as a default reference for journalists, students, policymakers, and the public. Winning an edit war on Wikipedia helps turn contested narratives into global ‘common knowledge’. For Kremlin-aligned actors, this makes Wikipedia a valuable target. Making small wording changes, downplaying occupation, reframing wars, and questioning democratic legitimacy can slowly erode our understanding of history and present-day aggression. Estonia’s experience shows how smaller states are especially exposed. Because Wikipedia is also a core source for AI systems, the stakes are even higher. Recent studies indicate that Wikipedia is one of the most cited sources for ChatGPT, effectively serving as a foundational knowledge base for how the AI understands and retrieves information. Manipulating articles today can therefore shape how future technologies understand, reproduce, and repeat history. This practice is referred to as LLM grooming, the deliberate attempt to influence large language models by seeding biased or distorted narratives into the sources they rely on. The rise in Wikipedia edit wars since 2022 reflects a broader shift in information warfare. Instead of loud propaganda, actors now use procedural, platform-native manipulation. Estonian history and Kaja Kallas are not isolated cases but targets of coordinated action. And as long as open-knowledge platforms shape how societies understand history and politics, sites like Wikipedia will remain contested ground.
EUvsDisinfo343,369 views • 5 months ago
Russia is mocking the international community: using children to legitimise occupation and whitewash its deliberate violations of international humanitarian and human rights law. From 21 June to 12 July 2026, Russia is staging a ʼWorld Children’s Conferenceʼ – ʼChildren for Peaceʼ – at Artek in the temporary occupied Ukrainian Crimea. The cynicism is staggering: the same Russia continues to forcibly deport Ukrainian children, subject them to systematic oppression and mistreatment, and destroy every aspect of their childhood. Some of Russia’s gravest crimes are crimes against Ukrainian children. Russia will be held to account.
EUvsDisinfo81,734 views • 1 month ago
In 2025, Russia has been framing the EU and Ukrainian leadership as "warmongers", who don't want to stop the war in Ukraine. This, of course, is an outright lie. In reality, it's the Kremlin who has rejected at least seven peace proposals in 2025 alone. Don't be deceived.
EUvsDisinfo244,850 views • 7 months ago
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Hundreds of vessels have become part of an illegal maritime ecosystem, called Russian Shadow Fleet, designed to reduce the impact of sanctions on Russian energy exports. By using aging tankers and opaque ownership structures, Moscow is sustaining oil exports while increasing environmental and security risks.
EUvsDisinfo38,868 views • 1 month ago
Long before election day, another battle is already taking place online. Russia’s election playbook targets voters before they even reach the ballot box: fake accounts, fake news sites, influencers, AI-generated content, and narratives designed to promote pro-Kremlin candidates and destroy trust in democracy. In this mini-documentary, we at EUvsDisinfo break down: - How Russian influence operations are created and amplified - How narratives spread through state media, Telegram, fake websites, social media, messaging apps, and even video games - How pro-EU, pro-Western, and pro-Ukraine candidates are targeted with outrageous false claims - Why artificial intelligence makes these campaigns faster, cheaper, and harder to detect - How fake accounts, deepfakes, and automated content can shape public opinion - Why the bigger, long-term goal is to make people lose trust in policymakers, journalists, institutions, and democracy itself This is Russia's election playbook.
EUvsDisinfo49,834 views • 1 month ago
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Today marks the anniversary of the Bucha massacre. In Apr 2022—after Ukraine liberated the town—the world saw civilians executed in the streets, mass graves & torture sites in basements. Russia used its propaganda machine to claim it was staged. But evidence proved otherwise.
EUvsDisinfo76,720 views • 4 months ago
Russia was supposed to capture Kyiv in 3 days. Four years later,they are advancing at a snail’s pace. "Three Days That Never Came" is a mini-documentary about Ukrainian resistance & courage against Russian aggression. It also shows how Ukraine adapted in the information space.
EUvsDisinfo72,736 views • 5 months ago
In 2026, the Russian economy is not yet in decline, but it is in real trouble.
EUvsDisinfo60,313 views • 6 months ago
Storm-1516 is Russia's big information war project targeting Europe. Disinformation, lies, fake websites, forged documentaries and AI-generated deepfakes... sounds scary, right? So far, this massively funded project has mostly produced a lot of noise with minimal impact.
EUvsDisinfo68,457 views • 7 months ago
In a study of more than 1,000 Russian prisoners of war conducted by the non-governmental group LingvaLexa and the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine, 76% of soldiers believed at least one Kremlin propaganda narrative to some extent, and 68% perceived the ‘Special Military Operation’ as necessary.
EUvsDisinfo32,243 views • 3 months ago
While Moscow loudly supports separatist movements abroad, even mild calls for independence inside Russia can lead to prison. The Kremlin’s “self-determination” has clear limits. Just ask yourself: how has the Kremlin reacted to secessionist aspirations in Tatarstan or Dagestan?
EUvsDisinfo39,667 views • 4 months ago