"Hell Machine": The Russian Federation honets the tools of propaganda before elections in Europe - the media
It is reported that according to Viginum, which is engaged in monitoring of foreign digital intervention, Russia has created a network of information portals that are designed to work with the audience in the occupied territory of Ukraine, as well as in Poland, France and Germany. The material states that the portal network broadcasts pro -Russian content that misleads consumers. The purpose of the Kremlin is to polarize public sentiment and weaken the support of Ukraine by Europeans.
It is assumed that the "hell car" of misinformation is controlled directly by the Kremlin. Investigators mockingly called the "Portal Combat" network. It is based on 193 portals that are formed around three ecosystems. The first unites sites called "Pravda" that are available in France, Germany, Poland, Spain, the United Kingdom, the United States. These sites were opened in 2023. Also, according to the publication, there is an older ecosystem of sites called "News. ru".
It is focused on Russian -language audience. According to investigators, such sites were created consistently from April 3 to December 17, 2022. Such sites are tied to the name of the occupied Ukrainian city. In total, 41 of them. Moreover, strategic cities, such as Lugansk and Donetsk, can have two sites from one ecosystem. It is reported that the second ecosystem is characterized by a more aggressive strategy for imposing its point of view.
"Sites created after invasion of Ukraine are no longer simple portals that transmit general information or local news, but are found to be true resonators for the Russian influence system," the investigators said. The third ecosystem, according to the report, is based on old sites that were created in 2013. It is noted that the "portal of the Command" relays foreign content, in particular in automatic mode. The sites are aimed at a certain audience, for example, a circle of conspiracy theories.