Russia-linked disinformation campaign spreads fake election fraud claims in German federal election
Russian-affiliated group Storm-1516 reportedly spread deepfake videos making false claims about election fraud in Germany's February 2025 federal election, including fabricated videos of missing AfD ballot names and ballots being shredded. German authorities identified and debunked the content, which circulated on social media in the days before the vote.
What happened
The German Interior Ministry identified a Russia-linked disinformation campaign spreading false claims of election fraud days before Germany's Bundestag election. Fabricated videos circulating on social media falsely suggested ballots in Leipzig were missing the name of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) candidate, and another video appeared to show a machine shredding ballots cast for the AfD.
The campaign was traced to Storm-1516, a Russian-affiliated influence operation previously active in past elections including the 2024 U.S. presidential vote, which relies on fake news websites and anonymous social media accounts to amplify misleading narratives.
Reported impact
The campaign was designed to influence the Bundestag election and erode trust in democratic institutions. German authorities said accounts sharing the videos were taken down, but new ones continued to appear on social media platforms.
Index analysis
City authorities in Leipzig verified both videos as fake, noting that all official ballots had been printed in a single production run, making the errors suggested in the videos impossible. More than 140,000 ballots had already been distributed for early voting with no irregularities reported.
Governance controls
The German Interior Ministry had been warning for months about potential Russian interference through social media manipulation and called on social media platforms to take immediate action to prevent further spread of disinformation.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.