Russia-linked group spoofing European journalists to spread disinformation

A Kremlin-linked disinformation group has been impersonating real journalists and publishing fake articles on spoofed news websites to spread false narratives in France, Armenia, Germany, Moldova and Norway, researchers have found.

The campaign was attributed to Storm-1516, a Russian threat actor active since at least 2023 that has previously sought to discredit Ukraine and sow discord in Europe. The group’s past operations have also targeted elections in Germany, Georgia and the United States.

In its latest campaign, uncovered by disinformation researchers at the fact-checking initiative Gnida Project, Storm-1516 used the names and photos of legitimate reporters on bylines to lend credibility to false claims published on the fake news sites. The journalists were unaware their identities had been misused until the campaign was made public. Some are now reportedly pursuing legal action.

In one case, a fake outlet called Courrier France 24 published a story alleging that the French nuclear company Orano was shipping radioactive waste to Armenia and donating to a fund linked to Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. Both Orano and Armenian officials have denied the allegations.

The article was published under the name of Romain Fiaschetti, a real journalist at Public magazine who writes primarily about entertainment and sports. Fiaschetti told French media he had never heard of the website and was shocked to discover his identity had been used in political stories he had no connection to.

Later, Public discovered that several of its journalists had been impersonated on the fake site. 

“We’ve contacted our lawyer and will probably take legal action,” Issam Charhi, editor-in-chief of the magazine, told French media.

Another campaign by Storm-1516 targeted Moldovan President Maia Sandu in an article published on the fake website The EU Insider. The story, falsely attributed to journalist Radu Dumitrescu of Romania Insider, claimed that the mayor of Chișinău had accused Sandu of embezzling U.S. aid funding. Dumitrescu had no involvement in the article, researchers said.

A fake article targeting German Chancellor Friedrich Merz claimed that he had illegally killed a family of polar bears during a hunting trip in Canada. The story was unsigned but listed several staff members of the Toronto Star as authors, none of whom were involved.

Researchers also linked Storm-1516 to what they said was the first documented disinformation campaign from the group targeting Norway. They created a fake environmental nonprofit website that published a story claiming Norway was facing an environmental crisis due to severe pollution in the Nitelva River, researchers said.

They believe the campaign was tied to Norway being the host of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in June — a role Russia had previously sought. The fabricated article alleged the pollution could force the cancellation of the forum, which was held in Oslo earlier that month.

While the full impact of Storm-1516’s latest campaign remains unclear, researchers have previously said the group’s narratives have gained significant traction online and have at times been amplified — knowingly or not — by public figures and politicians.

In a report published in May, French authorities said the group represents a significant threat to the French and European digital public debate.