Russia launched large-scale disinformation campaigns to influence elections in Moldova, Romania, and Georgia, aiming to distance these countries from the European Union and, if possible, bring them back into Moscow’s sphere of influence, Spanish intelligence services reported, as reported by Digi24.
The document, prepared by the National Security Department (DSN) under the leadership of General Loreto Gutiérrez Urtado and submitted to the Spanish parliament, analyzes actions taken by pro-Kremlin structures after the devastating storm “Dana” in Spain in autumn 2024. The report emphasizes that the Kremlin exploited the natural disaster by amplifying and adapting existing disinformation narratives to undermine citizens’ trust in Spanish democratic institutions, delegitimize Spain’s support for Ukraine, and create an international image of a country in chaos.
The DSN notes that disinformation today is among the major threats: the World Economic Forum ranks short-term disinformation as the top global risk. In mid-2022, Russia launched Operation “Doppelgänger” — a network of 228 domains and about 25,000 coordinated accounts operating in multiple languages, including Spanish, already linked to 60 documented incidents. According to the report, Moscow used this infrastructure to intensify initiatives related to elections in Moldova, Romania, and Georgia, as well as the 2024 U.S. presidential campaign won by Donald Trump.
The report highlights that new disinformation channels have become more sophisticated: besides traditional outlets like Sputnik and RT, pro-Kremlin actors create temporary independent platforms, complicating source tracing. The use of artificial intelligence marks a “qualitative and quantitative leap” — the European External Action Service recorded at least 41 cases of AI-driven instant dissemination of manipulative content.
The report also points to other key risks over the next five years: cyberspace vulnerability, unregulated migration flows, strategic and regional tensions, economic and financial instability. Looking ahead to 2035, experts name possible fragmentation of the global order and strategic uncertainty as major dangers. The report was presented to the National Security Council on April 24, just four days before a major power outage in the Iberian Peninsula, although the document does not mention the risk of a total blackout.
