Fake videos with ballot papers: Reference to Russian campaign

The German security authorities have indications that fake videos about alleged manipulation of the ballot papers for the Bundestag elections are part of a Russian disinformation campaign. Specifically, there are findings that indicate "a connection to the alleged Russian campaign "Storm 1516", because the distribution channels are very similar, because these videos are very similar", said Maximilian Kall, spokesman for the Federal Ministry of the Interior, in Berlin. He was referring to two videos that had emerged this week and were intended to suggest that the AfD would be disadvantaged in this Sunday's federal election.

In Leipzig, fake videos showed false ballot papers on which the AfD was missing, the spokesperson said. In Hamburg, another video showed supposed ballot papers on which the AfD had already been marked and which were then thrown into a shredder.

In one case, the Saxony State Criminal Police Office is now investigating. The second case was investigated by the Hamburg state election director, who quickly exposed the video circulating on social networks as a fake.

Warning of Russian influence operations

The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution had already warned months ago of corresponding influence operations, especially by Russian secret services and so-called hacktivists, in connection with the Bundestag elections. When asked by a journalist whether the German government had also noticed an increase in disinformation campaigns or the influencing of internet discourse by chatbots in recent weeks, which could be traced back to the USA, the spokesperson replied: "We have no knowledge of controlled influence operations, disinformation from the United States, but the security authorities have knowledge of influence operations, disinformation from Russia, exactly as the security authorities expected."