BERLIN — Russian bots have driven a dramatic surge of disinformation on the social media platform X days before Germany’s election, according to a government report seen by POLITICO.
At the center of the effort to influence German voters is Doppelgänger, a Kremlin-backed operation, according to the German Office of Foreign Affairs. The campaign uses fake news sites, sleeper accounts, and AI-generated content to spread false narratives and erode trust in Western institutions.
Intelligence agencies across the EU and U.S. have previously tracked Doppelgänger’s highly coordinated tactics, which have sought to undermine support for Ukraine in its war against Russia and amplify Kremlin-friendly messaging. Now, the operation has shifted its focus to Germany’s Feb. 23 election.
German officials identified more than 100 pseudo-news websites quietly accumulating content for months, according to officials.
“These platforms are structured similarly, filled with generic, often AI-generated articles,” one official told POLITICO, on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter. “At a chosen moment, a fabricated story is inserted and then rapidly spread via social media and influencers. We must assume these sites were prepared to be activated in the run-up to the Bundestag election.”
These sleeper websites mimic legitimate media outlets and remain inactive until a politically sensitive moment — such as an election — when they begin publishing false stories that spread rapidly through coordinated social media networks.
In recent years, European authorities have blamed Moscow for interference in a series of elections. Czech and Belgian authorities busted a major influence network they said was spreading pro-Kremlin propaganda in the runup to last year’s European Parliament vote, and in December Romania’s presidential elections were canceled after security services warned Russia was mounting “aggressive” hybrid attacks.
The issue is particularly sensitive in the German election, where the Russia-friendly, Elon Musk-backed far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD) is running second in opinion polls.
Ghost accounts
Doppelgänger-linked websites have previously cloned outlets like Der Spiegel, altering domain names just slightly to deceive unsuspecting readers.
The clearest sign of escalation is on Musk’s X platform, formerly Twitter.
The report, reviewed by POLITICO, shows a sharp increase in posts from ghost accounts, with activity spiking beyond 3,000 posts in a single day in late January. For much of November and December, activity remained relatively low, rarely exceeding 50 posts a day. But in early January, coordinated disinformation posts began appearing at a much higher frequency.
This “overload” technique — flooding social media with rapid waves of posts to manufacture the illusion of viral traction — is characteristic of Russian disinformation campaigns.
The posts’ content also follows a clear pattern. Many target Germany’s support for Ukraine, claiming Berlin is prioritizing Kyiv over its own citizens. One example, documented in the report, describes a fabricated corruption scandal involving Economy Minister Robert Habeck and an unnamed “Ukrainian Culture Minister.”
The false story was planted on a sleeper website in late January, then amplified within hours by coordinated X accounts, generating hundreds of retweets within minutes.
This wave of election interference appears to be heavily automated, with fake accounts posting at precise intervals.
Berlin is stepping up its counter-disinformation efforts, sharing intelligence with international partners, and considering sanctions and public attribution of the networks behind the campaign.
“We are working on a ‘cultural shift’ within the Foreign Ministry,” the official told POLITICO, referring to growing awareness of cyberthreats. “Ambassadors are becoming more vocal in their host countries. This ensures that when disinformation spreads, they have the credibility and networks to set the record straight.”
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