“EU Commissioner Vera Jourova Warns of Growing Russian Propaganda and Disinformation in Germany”

EU Values ​​and Transparency Commissioner Vera Jourova warns of the growing influence of Russian propaganda and disinformation in the EU, especially in Germany. “In many countries, the narrative is growing that Russia is not the aggressor, but the victim,” Jourova told Bild am Sonntag newspaper.

“In Slovakia, more than 50% of the population believe in conspiracy theories, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine.”

“They know that if they break Germany, they will weaken the whole EU. Germany must be unbreakable”, added the Commissioner.

According to Jourova, the EU is doing too little to fight disinformation:

“Russia invests billions in its propaganda, but we do almost nothing to fight it. The EU and its member states must invest more in strategic communication and the fight against disinformation.”

He described Russia Today as a “Kremlin’s wartime propaganda weapon”.

The EU banned the Kremlin-funded broadcaster last March. The reason for this was Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine. “We all stand for freedom of speech, but it must not be misused to spread war propaganda,” Jourova said at the time.

On Sunday, “Bild am Sonntag” warned in clear words about Moscow’s possible influence on German politics: “It is a proven Russian tactic to rely on domestic puppets. I am afraid that they have some of them in Germany”.

“Left and right-wing extremist politicians are soldiers of Russia’s information war.”

The commissioner did not name any of them.