Author: disinfo1
Dozens of foreign influencers visited the capital of Hungary in May 2024, as part of the “Budapest Influencer Trip”, an event associated with the daughter of the former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Ráhel. The total cost of the project amounted to 3.18 billion forints (approximately 8.7 million euros), of which 1.48 billion forints were spent on media acquisitions on influencers’ platforms. According to Nepszava.hu, the money came from public funds, through the Hungarian Tourism Agency (MTÜ). The project was carried out through Visit Hungary, a structure under the MTÜ, and a significant part of the work was outsourced through…
A dark spot observed on the left hand of Russian President Vladimir Putin in several video recordings recently published by the Kremlin has generated new speculation about his health status. According to the independent publication The Moscow Times, the sign was visible in the message sent by Putin on the occasion of the start of the school year, but also in another video material dedicated to Miner’s Day. In the images released by the Kremlin, the Moscow leader partially covers his left hand with his right one, but during the gestures, the spot can be observed in several frames. The…
Berlin asserts that Russia is responsible for the failed drone attack last month at Leipzig airport. Germany considers Russia “responsible” for the “hybrid attack” which, according to Berlin, was committed with a drone loaded with explosives in early August at Leipzig airport, a key air base for the German army, NATO, and the logistical support provided to Ukraine, stated the German Interior Minister on Tuesday, according to AFP, BBC News and The Guardian. “Overall, police investigations, modes of operation, and intelligence service information demonstrate Russia’s responsibility in the attempted attack at Leipzig airport,” said Minister Alexander Dobrindt, in a brief…
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced that the European Union will respond to hybrid attacks attributed to Russia, after Germany officially accused Moscow of the drone incident at Leipzig airport. Von der Leyen will meet on Wednesday with NATO Secretary General, Mark Rutte, to discuss a coordinated response, writes Euronews. The head of the European Commission expressed her “full solidarity” with Germany, after the authorities in Berlin announced on Monday that Russia was behind the incident that occurred in August. “We will keep the European Union united in the face of these increasingly serious and…
The European Union declared on Tuesday that the presence of the Russian finance minister at the G20 meeting organized by the US is inappropriate, emphasizing that it is not ”at all the time for normalization” of relations with Moscow, reports AFP, quoted by Agerpres. On Monday, the Europeans managed to exclude Siluanov from the traditional family photo. For the European Union, “it is not the time to normalize Russia or Russia’s presence at this type of meetings,” declared the European Commissioner for Economy and Productivity, Valdis Dombrovskis, present at the G20 finance ministers’ meeting taking place in Asheville, in the…
Iceland’s refusal to resume negotiations for joining the European Union represents a failure for Brussels, but not one that immediately threatens the European expansion strategy. The real stake is in the Western Balkans, where Montenegro and Albania have made significant progress and are waiting for the reforms required by the EU to be followed by a clear perspective of accession, according to an analysis by TVP World. Iceland’s refusal to resume negotiations for accession to the European Union represents a failure for Brussels, but not one that immediately threatens the European expansion strategy. The real challenge lies in the Western…
The center-left Prime Minister of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, stated on Monday that social networks linked to Israel and Russia have spread false information about the migrant crisis in the Spanish exclave of Ceuta, which occurred in July. He argued that this alleged smear campaign, amplified by far-right networks, was partially fueled by Madrid’s opposition to the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, reports AFP. Both Russia and Israel have spread and amplified, last month, disinformation related to the massive arrival of migrants in Ceuta, the Spanish exclave in North Africa, Sánchez declared on Monday, citing a study conducted by…
Kiev is rushing to expand its air defense, after Russia used over 2,500 jet-powered drones just in the month of August. Ukraine has four potential interception systems capable of shooting down the increasingly fast Geran Russian attack drones, equipped with jet engines, stated the Ukrainian Minister of Defense, Evghenii Hmara, on August 30, as quoted by Suspilne. Russia has significantly stepped up the use of these faster drones against Ukrainian cities, causing major damage to civil infrastructure and numerous casualties among the population. The attacks put almost unprecedented pressure on Ukraine’s anti-aircraft defense systems. All four interception systems have already…
Andrej Babis, the populist Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, harshly criticized the intelligence services on Monday for informing him too late about a disinformation campaign aimed at creating animosity between Czechs and Poles, reports the DPA agency, cited by Agerpres. “I should have had this information much earlier,” Babis declared after a cabinet meeting. He said that the Foreign Intelligence Service has “failed.” The incident was triggered by an online campaign intended to create the impression that Poland wants to annex a part of Czech territory. For this purpose, unknown individuals created fake versions of some Czech television websites…
Russian President Vladimir Putin once again hopes for a personal meeting with Xi Jinping to convince the Chinese president to approve the new Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline, which the Kremlin expects to double China’s gas supply. At the SCO summit in Bishkek, Putin meets with Xi for the second time this year. And the pipeline, which has been under discussion for over a decade and whose construction was initially planned for two years ago, is once again on the agenda, presidential adviser Yuri Ushakov told Interfax. “This subject will be discussed bilaterally”, said Ushakov, adding that, besides Xi,…