How Russia wages a hidden PR war in Germany
Russia’s war against Ukraine is not only fought on the battlefield—it is waged quietly in the minds of Europeans. In Germany, Moscow’s agents, cultural fronts, and propaganda networks are working to erode public support for Ukraine, distort the truth, and destabilize society. This is a silent offensive in the Kremlin’s hybrid war, and its front line runs through German media, politics, schools, and everyday conversations.
The activity of Russian agents in Germany has recently intensified to a level surpassing even the Cold War. Martina Rosenberg, head of Germany’s counterintelligence service, warns that Moscow is now using broader and more aggressive methods, with attempts to disrupt German society sharply increasing this year.
Agents infiltrate through third countries, recruiting locals of Russian origin or those with ties to the Russian Federation. Their main objectives: espionage, destabilization, and sabotage of critical infrastructure.
This hidden war—targeting minds and values—seeps into many sectors of German and European life.
A case in the European Commission: A glimpse of a hidden threat
A telling example came in a Le Monde report: six months ago, the European Commission dismissed a French-Ukrainian interpreter suspected of spying for Russia.
The woman, referred to as Ms. “I,” was born into a Russian family in Ukraine and maintained ongoing professional contact with Russian officials. The Ukrainian embassy had warned about her, recommending she be barred from meetings involving Ukraine’s president. But for years, many Europeans preferred to believe this was merely “Putin’s war.”
Cancel Putin, not Pushkin?
In December 2022, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni attended the premiere of Boris Godunov at La Scala, starring Putin ally Anna Netrebko. This was despite a formal request from Ukraine’s Ministry of Culture to cancel the performance.
Von der Leyen told Ukrainian protesters outside the theater that “Russian culture should not be equated with Putin” and that we must not “let Putin destroy all of this.” (But what exactly is “all of this”?)
At least now, more than three years into Russia’s full-scale war, the understanding appears to be shifting—at least among some European officials.
As German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said in June 2025, Russia’s information war targets not only Ukraine but also Germany itself, where large-scale disinformation campaigns continue. Merz stressed that Germany must defend itself. Russian aggression has long moved beyond the battlefield—it includes PR operations running across Europe for years.
Manipulative tactics: Channels of Russian PR influence in Germany
Russia’s propaganda machine in Germany operates on multiple fronts:
Cultural organizations and Russian-speaking communities
Under the guise of cultural associations, they host “Victory Day” celebrations, spread pro-Kremlin narratives, and cast Russia as a “liberating superpower.” Many receive backing from Kremlin-linked foundations.
Educational initiatives: schools, weekend classes, and youth groups
Some private programs teach children to “love the Motherland,” sing the Russian anthem, and learn a distorted history that portrays Ukraine as “fascist.” Marketed as cultural preservation, these efforts double as covert propaganda.
Russian-language media: TV and online platforms
Outlets like RT maintain a presence in Germany via proxies or new platforms. Telegram channels and YouTube blogs spread disinformation with anti-Ukrainian, anti-European, and conspiratorial messaging.
Political influence via parties and public rallies
Pro-Russian messaging comes from politicians calling for “peace” and opposing support for Ukraine, found across both far-right and far-left circles. Their refrain: “Germany doesn’t need this war—we should negotiate with Putin.”
“Humanitarian” organizations and religious institutions
Claiming to aid “Russian-speaking migrants,” some groups undermine Ukrainian identity, push the “common people” narrative, and distort facts about the war.
Why is this happening—and what can be done?
The goal is clear: destabilize society, sow doubt about supporting Ukraine, and recast Russia as a “complicated partner” rather than an aggressor. This is hybrid war—missiles paired with narratives, disinformation as a weapon of mass influence.
Moscow acts strategically, leveraging historical ties, language, and Europe’s instinct for “dialogue” to embed itself in social life. It offers familiar emotions—nostalgia, “Motherland,” peace on earth—but beneath that facade lie calculated Kremlin narratives.
What must we do—all of us?
Spread the truth.
In media, on social media, and in daily life—especially with Russian-speaking Germans, who are prime targets. Counter doubt not with hostility, but with facts, examples, and truth.
Support Ukrainian initiatives in Germany.
Cultural events, exhibitions, concerts, lectures, and film screenings strengthen the diaspora and show Ukraine as modern, open, and democratic. This challenges the narrative of Ukraine as merely a victim or “someone else’s war.”
Expose propaganda.
If you see disinformation or pro-Russian activity, speak out. Report it to German institutions, school administrations, police, or the press. Propaganda must know it is being watched.
Teach critical thinking.
In Ukrainian, German, and European children alike. The next war may start not with tanks, but with TikTok and YouTube. We need youth who can analyze, detect fakes, and recognize when “just another opinion” is an FSB project.
Build intercultural dialogue.
Explain why resisting Putin requires confronting the Soviet imperial legacy—and why Pushkin is more than a poet; he is also a symbol of the colonial policy Russia is reviving today.
Be Ukraine’s voice.
Every day, even in small interactions—in the grocery store, at the doctor’s office. Every conversation, every reaction, every article is either a small act of resistance or silence that empowers the aggressor.
This war is not just against Ukraine. It is a threat to freedom, truth, and human dignity. Victory will only come if Europe refuses to turn a blind eye to information attacks and chooses to defend its hard-won democratic values.
This war is not only about territory—it is a battle for truth, trust, and consciousness.
If we remain silent, Russia speaks.
If we stay passive, Russia acts.
That means every one of us has a front line.
And we cannot afford to lose it.
The military war may be swinging in our favor, but the information war continues.
Just as an army needs soldiers, so does a free society need its journalists to ensure that people have access to honest, trustworthy voices to understand the world around them.
For the past five years, The New Voice of Ukraine has been working tirelessly to push back against Russian narratives and defend democracy. But we cannot do it alone.
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