Italian expert: Russian disinformation in Europe and the Balkans becoming increasingly aggressive

At a time when Europe is facing new waves of disinformation, Italian propaganda monitoring (fact checking) expert, Simone Fontana is sounding the alarm about the increasing aggressiveness of Russian campaigns, not only in countries with fragile institutions, but also in countries with established democracies. In an interview with The Geopost, he emphasizes that Russian propaganda is increasingly present in the European media, especially in Italy, and exploits uncertainties and ambiguities within the European Union.

According to Fontana, Moscow’s hybrid attacks are directed not only against the EU because of the sanctions against Russia, but also against public opinion, which is becoming increasingly susceptible to manipulative narratives. For the Balkans, he proposes a practical approach: improving media literacy and training citizens to read and critically understand information—as the best defense against disinformation campaigns.

Full interview:

The Geopost: Have you noticed an increase in Russian disinformation efforts over the past month?

Fontana: Russian disinformation is basically the same, it is very aggressive and widespread in all countries, especially in Northern and Central Europe, where institutions are strong but public debate on the Russia-Ukraine situation is very weak… And I come from Italy. I observe disinformation in Italy, and Russian propaganda about Ukraine is currently the main topic of discussion on disinformation.

The Geopost: Have you noticed an increase in Russian disinformation targeting the EU, especially after the imposition of new EU sanctions against the Russian Federation?

Fontana: Yes, this process is underway, as Russian disinformation is targeting the European Union. The European Union has already imposed numerous sanctions on Russia, but has become even more aggressive in recent months. This weakens the European Union, as it is currently unclear in Europe which direction it will take. This gives Russia and Russian propaganda a lot of room to maneuver. It is not only propaganda in the sense of disinformation, but also propaganda in the Italian and European media, and that is very dangerous.

The Geopost: What steps should the Balkan countries take to effectively counter Russian disinformation campaigns?

Fontana: I think we need to focus on media literacy. It is very difficult to counter Russian propaganda from the outset. You have to influence the readers, users, and people who are the targets of this propaganda. Media literacy, i.e., educating people about the news and combating disinformation, is, in my opinion, the only option at present./The Geopost/