Germany is at the center of Russian influence opera­tions — not only because of its political and economic signif­i­cance, but also due to societal vulner­a­bil­ities that are being delib­er­ately exploited. The analysis examines the strategies Russia is using to desta­bilize German democracy and the resulting impli­ca­tions for European security.

Russia is using targeted infor­mation manip­u­lation in Moldova as part of a compre­hensive hybrid strategy to desta­bilize democ­ratic processes and undermine trust in state insti­tu­tions. However, the experience in Moldova shows that resilience, good gover­nance, and democ­ratic oversight are more effective responses to this than censorship alone.

Georgia’s infor­mation environment has undergone a funda­mental shift. Pro-Russian influence opera­tions are no longer driven primarily by external actors, such as Kremlin-controlled media, but increas­ingly by domestic actors, including the Georgian Dream government. As a result, anti-Western disin­for­mation has entered Georgia’s political mainstream.