As Russian forces shell Ukrainian cities, pro-Kremlin propagandists have homed in on a new topic: turning Europeans against Ukrainian refugees.
GROSS STRÖMKENDORF, Germany — The news clip showed a towering blaze in a residential neighborhood in Germany, followed by a weeping homeowner giving an interview from the rubble of her burned-down house. A chyron at the bottom of the screen explained that Ukrainian refugees had set the fire, accidentally ravaging the home of their German hosts.
But it was a fake, with footage from unrelated events stitched together to form a bogus news report that cast Ukrainian refugees as feckless instigators wreaking havoc on the generous Germans who had taken them in., pro-Kremlin propagandists have homed in on a new target: turning Europeans against In Germany — home to more than 1 million Ukrainians — attempted arson attacks and threatening graffiti on refugee accommodations and schools in recent months suggest the messaging is already reaching a radicalized fringe. In many cases, it’s spreading via the fast-growing messaging app Telegram, which does far less content moderation than established giants such as Meta’s Facebook and Google’s YouTube.
“is a long-term investment, and it could become very, very toxic,” Huberta von Voss, executive director of the Germany office for the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, a London-based nonprofit that studies extremism and disinformation, said of the Russian efforts. “That can do real-world harm.”While Europeans are still overwhelmingly in favor of welcoming refugees, support is slipping in key countries.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Ukrainian Nobel Peace Prize winner calls for war crimes tribunal for Putin and Russian military leadersA Ukrainian human rights activist set to receive the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo says that world leaders must create a special international tribunal to place Russian President Vladimir Putin and large numbers of his military on trial for war crimes.
Read more »
Ukrainian Nobel Peace Prize winner calls for war crimes tribunal for Putin and Russian military leaders
Read more »
Indian Prairie D204 struggling to find Russian-speaking translators to work with influx of Ukrainian studentsIndian Prairie School District 204 is seeking Russian translators and learning materials to assist the large number of new students coming from Ukraine, officials said this week.
Read more »
Top Russian Misrepresents U.S. on Chemical Weapons, No Mention of Kremlin Poisoning FoesMoscow knows the U.S. is nearly finished destroying its chemical weapons. It’s Russia and ally Syria who’ve kept stocks and used them.
Read more »