This initiative is part of the German government's broader national security strategy, which pinpointed the Kremlin as a major security threat.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz's administration, collaborating with the ministries of interior, foreign affairs, and justice, has launched this group with an initial team of 10 analysts. Plans are in place to expand this team to 20 to enhance monitoring and analysis capabilities.
The primary focus of the working group is to identify and counteract disinformation operations on social platforms, particularly those believed to be Kremlin-sponsored. One significant example is the "Doppelgaenger" campaign, which the German government reports generated over a million posts from tens of, thousands of fabricated accounts in just a few weeks.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock emphasized the broader implications of these disinformation campaigns. "The war that Vladimir Putin is waging is also directed against us... He wants to destroy the peaceful order in Europe, and with it as many liberal democracies as possible," Baerbock stated. She also highlighted the complicity of extremist groups within Germany, noting that "He also has henchmen on the far right and far left in our parliaments who are adopting his propaganda one by one."
In related news, a joint investigation by Germany's Spiegel and the Czech newspaper Denik N revealed on March 29 that German Bundestag member Petr Bystron allegedly received funds from a Russian influence network. Further exposing the reach of Russian propaganda, the Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Kroo reported on March 28 close cooperation between Belgian and Czech special services in dismantling a Russian propaganda network, and stated that members of the European Parliament were paid by Russia for disseminating its propaganda.
Moreover, the European Commission's Vice President Věra Jourová announced on May 5 that the Voice of Europe media platform, linked to the banned OPFL party's former Ukrainian MP Viktor Medvedchuk, could be targeted in the 14th package of EU sanctions against Russia. On May 15, European Union ambassadors concurred on a total ban on the broadcasting of Russian media, including Voice of Europe, in response to its role in disseminating disinformation.