Report 4874

Fact-checking firm NewsGuard and investigative website Correctiv said Thursday they have identified a group of Russian-linked websites spreading false information to influence the German parliamentary elections scheduled for February.

A joint analysis by the two organizations shows that they have identified links between 102 websites and John Mark Dougan, a former U.S. police officer who now lives in Russia.

The websites have been dubbed the "Dougan network. Some of them bear the names of well-known, defunct German media brands and are filled with artificial intelligence-generated content.

The sites look similar and published articles containing false information about German politicians who are pro-NATO and pro-Ukrainian, particularly from the Green Party, which is known for its strong support for Ukraine and the green transition.

The sites also distributed content favoring politicians and parties with more nationalist and pro-Russian positions, such as the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD).

NewsGuard said it had evidence that Dougan, through these sites, was involved in an operation to influence the German elections and worked with Russia's GRU military intelligence service. However, the American, who has been accused of running similar disinformation campaigns against the U.S. in the past, told Reuters that he had nothing to do with Russian intelligence and accused NewsGuard of trying to blame him for spreading false information on behalf of Russia.

The German Foreign Ministry and the country's intelligence agency have told NewsGuard that they are monitoring this organized campaign, which they believe could undermine trust in state institutions.