PRINT

Results of pro-Russian information manipulation and disinformation monitoring targeting Ukraine-EU relations during June – August, 2025

24.10.2025
Accusations of the EU prolonging the war, discrediting Ukrainian-Polish relations, and demoralising the public in Ukraine’s information environment.

The Regional EU Disinformation Resilience-related Network of Journalists, in collaboration with the EU-funded Disinformation Awareness and Resilience [DARE] Project team, continues to investigate  Russian propaganda narratives in various regions of Ukraine and debunk disinformation about the EU-Ukraine relations.

In summer 2025, as during  earlier monitoring periods,  propagandists have been targeting Ukrainians using the network of Telegram channels, Facebook groups, and news websites for further demoralisation and imposing false views about Ukraine’s integration in the European Union in addition to manipulating and influencing  the core nature of EU-Ukraine relations.

Main findings:

  • During June-August 2025, Russian propagandists focused on undermining Ukrainian-Polish relations and accusing  the EU of “prolonging the war” as well as of having “aggressive policy towards Russia.” Additionally, false stories about alleged “plans to divide Ukraine” between Russia, the USA, and the EU Member States, the existence of schemes on Ukrainian children trade coordinated by EU and Ukrainian elites, and disinformation about the state of Ukrainian refugees in the EU have been detected. 

  • During the monitoring period, the quantity of disinformation and manipulative messages aiming at undermining relations between Ukraine and Poland has increased. Such messages were detected either in nationwide or in regional informational sources (particularly in Ivano-Frankivsk, Kharkiv, Donetsk, Cherkasy, Kirovohrad, and Zaporizhia regions). This may be interpreted as a sign of a coordinated disinformation campaign aiming at the dissemination of the feud between these two countries.

  • In the summer of 2025, disinformation and manipulative messages targeting European integration processes in Moldova were detected. In particular, pro-Kremlin propagandists have been accusing the Moldovan government of “ruining traditional values,” Russophobia, and persecution of dissent (meaning the conviction of the Governor of Gagauzia, Evghenia Gutsul, for illegal financing of the pro-Russian party “Shor”). They have also been disseminating fake data of sociological surveys on “increase of hatred towards Maia Sandu from the Moldovan diaspora abroad.”

  • Pro-Kremlin propagandists are employing a range of disinformation tactics to deceive Ukrainians, including emotional manipulation, threats, and the creation of fake media outlets and AI-generated visuals. Notably, during the monitoring period, the primary strategy of these propagandists has shifted towards demoralising Ukrainians and spreading widespread discouragement.

  • In addition to direct pro-Russian narratives, the messages about the alleged provision of financial aid to Ukrainians by the EU have been disseminated in the Ukrainian Telegram segment. As a result , administrators of Telegram channels and scammers are gathering personal data of users and promoting suspicious sources. 

  • As part of its monitoring efforts, the DARE Project team has detected distinct regional patterns in the spread of disinformation about the EU-Ukraine relations. 

  • In Kherson region, for instance, propagandists have been disseminating false information about Western mercenaries attacking civilians, while in Donetsk region, they have been promoting fabricated claims about a "combat moth" supposedly imported from the EU. Similarly, in Odesa region, disinformation campaigns have included allegations that the city has been sold to Italian interests and that Ukrainian refugees who resided in Odesa are being deported from the Great Britain. 

Key monitoring results (in Ukrainian).