How Russian-funded fake news network aims to disrupt election in Europe | Hacker News Reader

How Russian-funded fake news network aims to disrupt election in Europe

bbc.com

23 pointsvinni211 comments

> Using an undercover reporter, we discovered the network promised to pay participants if they posted pro-Russian propaganda and fake news undermining Moldova's pro-EU ruling party ahead of the country's 28 September parliamentary ballot.

> 3,000 Moldovan lei ($170, £125) a month to produce TikTok and Facebook posts in the run-up to the election

> 200 Moldovan lei ($12, £9) an hour in cash to conduct unofficial polling after training on how to subtly sway those being polled

Always wondered how much it took to get people to do this

I mean, even FBI director cut was mere $25K https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/02/07/...

"Kash Patel, President Donald Trump’s nominee to be FBI director, was paid $25,000 last year by a film company owned by a Russian national who also holds U.S. citizenship and has produced programs promoting “deep state” conspiracy theories and anti-Western views advanced by the Kremlin, according to a financial disclosure form Patel submitted as part of his nomination process and other documents."

If blogs, ads, and telegram channels can overturn elections then isn’t that a bad sign for democracy as an idea? That would imply rule of media rather than decision making citizens.

It used to be mass media before, now it’s social media. Is that such a big jump? Social media has much more influence from unknown or foreign sources, so you could say yes.

Also, influence of money on politics is obviously huge. You can predict the winner based on how much money they have, and the mass media blitzes they do, on a lot of local elections.

Democracy as an idea, I think people need a certain level of media literacy and the media has to be unbiased for people to make good decisions. But then, that was not a thing in the mass media era and that’s clearly not a thing in the social media era.

Yeah I agree it’s not new at all.

> and the media has to be unbiased for people to make good decisions

In other words the media holds the power. And we need them to be responsible and not use that power. That’s a fragile system.

Nice to see the Russians finally learn from the Americans after 20 years. Rather slow and incompetent though compared to the U.S. who are god-tier grand-masters at propaganda.

Every country is trying to mess with every other country elections, the approach is always the same, to finance parties:

- that are favorable to them

- that cause division: extreme, radical or secessionist parties

Russophobia is a terminal mental illness.

Calling the evidence of the concerted, sustained election interference efforts "russophobia" makes about as much sense as calling out Russian war crimes (eg deliberate targeting of civilians) "russophobia".

It's just stupid.

Similarly calling out American election interference is not "americanophobia" or calling out Israeli or Syrian war crimes and genocides is not "phobia".

Phobias are irrational. With the rich evidence it's called "facts".

>as calling out Russian war crimes (eg deliberate targeting of civilians) "russophobia".

Yes, that's russopbobic atrocity propaganda intended to manufacture consent for arming and financing Kiev regime.

Well, people who know nothing about Russia or Russians, but are so afraid of them are mental cases. What does Kaja Kalla or Merz know about Russia?! Merz openly says he hates Russia for what it's done it its country. Well, I think, they got less than they deserved for what they've done to the world! And now they want the Fourth Reich - it will end up even more butthurt than the Third, we all know that! Maybe Germany should be erased from the map if they keep starting world wars!

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