Fake videos about alleged manipulation of ballots in the Bundestag elections are part of a Russian disinformation campaign. This is stated in a statement by the Leipzig city authorities, the German Ministry of the Interior, information from SPIEGEL and ORF, UNN reports.
Details
Shortly before the federal elections, several fake videos appeared on the Internet, alleging manipulation of postal voting. The videos showed two alleged ballots from Leipzig's electoral district 151.
Since Tuesday, February 18, various videos with fake ballots for the February 23 elections have been circulating on social media. These videos give the impression that the AfD candidate is not present in Leipzig's constituency 151 and that a second vote cannot be cast for the party. However, the ballots shown in the videos are fake election documents.
German law enforcement officials have evidence linking the provocations to the alleged Russian Storm 1516 campaign.
The distribution channels are very similar because these videos are very similar
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“Storm-1516” - is a group that has spread pro-Russian narratives through anonymous social media accounts or websites in the past. SPIEGEL cites a preliminary conclusion by German security sources that Storm-1516 can be attributed to the activities of Russian intelligence services.
ORF quotes Interior Secretary Nancy Fizer's statement:
We must assume that the fake videos are being used in a deliberate attempt to stir up doubts about the electoral process and the integrity of the Bundestag elections
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