An investigation by The Guardian reveals how Russian intelligence agencies are using Telegram and other online platforms to recruit vulnerable individuals across Europe for acts of sabotage and disinformation. Recruits—often financially desperate migrants or disenfranchised youth—are paid to carry out arson, vandalism, and propaganda distribution targeting NATO-linked sites and infrastructure. Leaked communications show handlers explicitly instructing recruits to post fabricated narratives after operations, including blaming Ukrainian refugees or Western governments. Authorities in Germany, Poland, and the UK have confirmed arrests tied to these plots, reflecting a shift toward hybrid tactics that merge physical sabotage with coordinated narrative manipulation.

The French government has vehemently rejected false claims propagated by Russian state-controlled media, suggesting that President Emmanuel Macron used cocaine during his visit to Kyiv. These allegations were part of a broader disinformation campaign aimed at discrediting Macron and undermining the European Union’s stance on supporting Ukraine in the ongoing conflict with Russia. Russian outlets spread manipulated images and fake news stories, exploiting the growing distrust in political elites and the ongoing war.

Following the catastrophic 7.7 magnitude earthquake that struck Myanmar on 28 March 2025, the disaster response was complicated by a flood of AI-generated disinformation. Malicious actors exploited the urgent demand for information, distributing synthetic videos with fabricated destruction scenes and misattributed temple locations to generate ad revenue and social media engagement. Military-enforced telecommunications blackouts intensified the crisis, as the spread of clickbait AI content misled victims, responders, and the international community. A report warns that such misuse of generative AI during crises undermines emergency coordination, delays life-saving interventions, and erodes public trust.

A new open-source investigation reveals that over 40 South African social media influencers took part in a coordinated campaign attacking Ukrainian President Zelensky’s image, apparently as part of a paid influence-for-hire operation. The influencers – 29 of whom even advertised themselves as such in their profiles – spread posts criticizing Zelensky’s refusal of a short Kremlin-proposed ceasefire, using hashtags like #ZelenScam to amplify Kremlin-friendly narratives, and garnered about 290,000 views in the process . Researchers from DFRLab tie this effort to a broader surge in Russian disinformation across Africa (a fourfold increase since 2022), with Moscow linked to nearly 40% of such influence campaigns on the continent .

The Indian government has launched ‘Operation Sindoor’ to combat a surge of cross-border disinformation campaigns emanating from Pakistani social media networks. The operation was triggered by the dissemination of false videos and fabricated news stories, which aimed to incite communal tensions and discredit the Indian government’s policies. The Press Information Bureau of India was tasked with identifying and debunking these falsehoods, while coordinating with cybersecurity agencies to trace and disrupt the networks responsible. The operation has revealed the extensive use of fake news tactics as a tool of geopolitical influence, underscoring the growing challenge of cross-border narrative manipulation. 

Spain’s cybersecurity agency has identified coordinated foreign influence activity behind a surge of disinformation following the April blackout across the Iberian Peninsula. The report suggests that accounts linked to foreign actors amplified false claims about sabotage by migrants and secret military operations. Analysts noted linguistic patterns and account behavior consistent with prior campaigns tied to Kremlin-aligned networks. The disinformation was designed to exploit public uncertainty and deepen polarization during a critical infrastructure crisis, underscoring the strategic use of power outages as information warfare flashpoints.

In the aftermath of former President Rodrigo Duterte’s arrest, the Philippines saw a sharp wave of disinformation online, with edited images, fake quotes, and recycled protest videos spreading rapidly across Facebook, TikTok, and X (formerly Twitter). Old photos from unrelated events were misrepresented as mass pro-Duterte rallies, while fabricated statements falsely attributed to politicians like President Marcos and Vice President Sara Duterte were shared to inflame tensions. Experts note that the deliberate spread of misleading narratives sought to create confusion, stir outrage, and manipulate public perception during a politically sensitive moment.

Canada faces a new wave of election threats as deepfake videos, synthetic media, and AI-driven disinformation rapidly escalate. McGill University’s research warns that without urgent safeguards, deepfake scandals could confuse voters, undermine electoral integrity, and amplify foreign influence—as election campaigns move increasingly into AI-weaponized information warfare.

Across West Africa, foreign-backed disinformation campaigns are exploiting local languages like Hausa and Yoruba to spread authoritarian narratives. An investigation shows how platforms like Tiktok, Facebook and WhatsApp are weaponized to evade fact-checkers, sow division, and amplify foreign influence—highlighting an urgent blind spot in global disinformation defense strategies.

An EEAS Threat Report exposes a growing wave of state-sponsored disinformation campaigns, with Russia, China, and Iran identified as the primary culprits behind strategic influence operations targeting European information ecosystems. The report highlights how these actors are exploiting crises—from wars to elections and climate protests—to erode trust in institutions, amplify social divisions, and manipulate public discourse. It also identifies over 750 unique disinformation incidents in just six months, many amplified by coordinated bot networks and fake news sites.

In Brazil, coordinated disinformation campaigns on YouTube, WhatsApp, and Telegram intensified ahead of the 2022 elections, spreading anti-democratic conspiracies, anti-journalist narratives, and anti-science rhetoric. The ICFJ study links this to low media literacy, high digital reach, and platform inaction, which helped fuel the January 8, 2023 riots.

Canada’s intelligence leaders are sounding the alarm that foreign disinformation campaigns are actively undermining trust in democratic institutions ahead of the country’s next election. The report reveals how AI-generated videos, fake social media accounts, and cross-platform manipulation are being used to spread conspiracy theories and sow political division. The threat is so severe, authorities now call it “an existential threat to democracy.” 

An academic report from the Empirical Studies of Conflict (ESOC) project presents global dataset documenting 150 covert online influence operations between 2011 and 2023. The dataset identifies 150 campaigns targeting at least 70 countries, with Russia (60%), China (13%), and Iran (12%) responsible for the majority of foreign efforts. These campaigns used bots, trolls, fake accounts, and hashtag hijacking across platforms like X, Facebook, TikTok, and Telegram to defame opponents, manipulate public opinion, and promote authoritarian narratives.

A network of 28 social media and Telegram accounts with over 2 million followers generated more than 800,000 impressions in just 24 hours to promote the “Peace and neutrality, not our war” protest in Madrid. An investigation found that 82% of these accounts had previously disseminated pro-Russian or anti-Ukrainian disinformation. Organizers leveraged this digital infrastructure to amplify Kremlin-aligned messaging. This underscores how foreign propaganda networks are co-opting local movements to influence European narratives.

An investigation by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) exposes how Russian-affiliated groups recruit individuals through Telegram to spread anti-NATO propaganda, conduct cyberattacks on infrastructure, and fund hacktivist collectives like. From orchestrating migrant crises to sabotaging undersea energy cables, these hybrid attacks are testing Europe's resilience.

Israeli authorities uncovered an Iranian espionage network recruiting citizens through social media, exploiting financial and personal vulnerabilities for intelligence gathering. Recruits were tasked with surveilling military sites and infrastructure, using encrypted communications and cryptocurrency for covert operations. Brinker was instrumental in exposing the digital tactics behind this campaign, revealing the growing role of cyber warfare in foreign espionage efforts.

The Moscow-based Center for Geopolitical Expertise produced a fabricated video using AI tools, falsely accusing U.S. Vice Presidential candidate Tim Walz of sexual misconduct. This disinformation aimed to interfere with the U.S. electoral process, prompting the Biden administration to impose sanctions on the involved Russian entities.

In the lead-up to Moldova's pivotal presidential election and EU membership referendum, disinformation campaigns, allegedly backed by pro-Kremlin sources, sought to destabilize the pro-European government. These efforts included hiring personalities to create misleading content, aiming to sway public opinion and undermine democratic processes.