ATHENS

Russia is being accused of running an extensive online disinformation campaign in France, according to French authorities.

A report released by the General Secretariat of Defense and National Security (SGDSN) service for the protection against foreign digital interference, VIGINUM, said the campaign has been conducted by a network that included 193 fake websites.

“The sites of this network do not produce any original content but massively transmit publications originating mainly from three types of sources: social network accounts of Russian or pro-Russian actors, Russian press agencies and official sites of institutions or local actors,” it said.

It added that the primary aim of the network is to cover the Russian-Ukrainian war through Russian lenses and denigrate Ukraine and its leaders.

Moreover, to reach a larger audience, the network resorts to the use of several techniques including the careful selection of pro-Russian propaganda sources according to the targeted locality, massive automation in the distribution of content or even optimization on search engines.