In Germany, many fake messages in support of the far-right AfD were discovered on the X network

Since this is happening on the eve of the elections, it is suspected that Russia has resumed its disinformation tactics.

In Germany, an avalanche of fake posts in German on the X platform was discovered. It is the work of the organizers of the «Doppelganger» campaign, investigators believe, Euronews reports.

Russia has resumed disinformation tactics to support the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party and discredit its rivals ahead of the German election, observers say. German NGO CeMAS said it had discovered hundreds of posts spreading false claims about the election on the X website, formerly Twitter. CeMAS activists believe this is how the «Doppelganger» campaign manifests itself.

It is known for cloning the websites of well-known media outlets by purchasing similar domains and imitating the original layout and style. Fake articles, presented as genuine products of said media outlets, are then distributed using bots on social platforms. This allows Russian propagandists to present disinformation as if it comes from legitimate sources.

Launched in 2022, the «Doppelganger» campaign initially spread false claims about Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and has now targeted European voters in the hope of discrediting political forces that Moscow dislikes.

The authorities of the European Union, the United Kingdom and the United States have already imposed sanctions on PR firms and individuals believed to be behind the «Doppelganger» campaign. CeMAS claims to have detected 630 messages on the X network with «typical doppelganger patterns» since mid-December. Many of the fake German-language posts contained links to fake websites posing as German media outlets, such as Der Spiegel and Welt TV.

The posts contained a negative portrayal of the «Greens», who were blamed for Germany's economic problems, Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democratic Party (SPD) and the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU).

According to CeMAS, all mentions of the «Alternative for Germany» (AfD) – the far-right party currently trailing the CDU in the polls – were positive. For example, one post, which featured a photo of AfD leader Alice Weidel, read: «The constant confrontation with Russia is only hurting us. It's time for a change in politics. AfD shows the way.

Experts, meanwhile, are calling for tougher measures to completely neutralize the «Doppelganger» campaign, which the EU is trying to weaken with sanctions and restrictions, but has not yet eradicated.

Recent investigations conducted by the German platform Correctiv and the Swedish NGO Qurium have shown that «Doppelganger» uses the services of European IT companies. The revelations forced several European service providers to cut off contact with the propagandists.

In January, Russian state-run media outlet RT, which is under EU sanctions, opened a new X account for its German-language channel RT Germany (RT DE). Archives of the page show that the channel paid X for the blue «verified» check mark, despite a ban on financial transactions between X and sanctioned entities. However, X later deleted the account.