Germany’s Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), the country’s domestic intelligence and counterintelligence agency, has recorded a marked increase in recent months in Russian disinformation directed at Chancellor Friedrich Merz. The Handelsblatt newspaper reported this on 16 September, citing a statement from the agency.
According to the BfV, the frequency of such campaigns has continued to rise since the end of June 2026. The material is spread primarily via X and other social networks. The fakes are often packaged to look like videos from well-known German and international media outlets — complete with their logos, visual style and purported references to “internal sources.”
The agency attributes some of the content to the so-called “Matryoshka” campaign: fake websites and videos that copy the look of Western publications and fill them with false claims. It also names the Storm-1516 network, which the German government publicly linked to Russia in December 2025. That network was already involved in campaigns ahead of the February 2025 Bundestag election.
The aim of these operations, in the BfV’s assessment, is to sharpen social tensions, undermine trust in democratic processes and influence political opinion. Marc Henrichmann, chair of the Bundestag’s intelligence oversight committee, said that forged videos and “news” segments are being used systematically to construct a negative image of the chancellor.
Similar clips have appeared before. They include a fake about Merz’s alleged impending resignation, styled after Deutsche Welle and Handelsblatt, as well as material making false claims about the politician’s health. German security services link those stories to the same infrastructure.
The surge in activity coincides with state elections and debate over the stability of the federal government. The BfV notes that the campaign authors quickly pick up on the current agenda in Germany.
