Securing Democracy Dispatch

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Russian diplomats and state media focused on two main narratives this week:

• US-Russia Negotiations: Russian propaganda outlets celebrated a two-hour-long phone conversation between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. After the call, Putin’s foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov announced that Trump sees Russia “as one of the key trade and economic partners of the United States”, while TASS predicted that the potential for cooperation “is unlimited” after the war in Ukraine ends. Russian propagandist Vladimir Solovyov added that Trump advocated for “mutually beneficial relations with Russia, considering its role in the world and its place in the [world’s] economy”. Moscow 24 and TASS quoted US Vice President JD Vance, who stated that the West and Russia “need to overcome fundamental distrust” and that Trump would offer Putin economic benefits and the restoration of relations with the rest of the world. TASS also cited US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who chastised the Biden administration for freezing negotiations with Russia and emphasized that bilateral conversations would prevent future conflicts.
• Andriy Portnov’s Assassination: Russian officials and journalists accused Ukrainian authorities of assassinating Andriy Portnov, a senior aide to former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich, in Madrid, Spain. Rodion Miroshnik, Ambassador-at-Large for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), claimed that Portnov knew about alleged cooperation between current Ukrainian officials and Yanukovich’s administration. Pro-Russian Kyiv-born blogger Anatoly Shariy speculated that Portnov was preparing to release information that would incriminate Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. RT en Español journalist Helena Villar revealed that Portnov supposedly planned a detailed record of tax payment information for members of the Ukrainian government. Vitaly Kiselev, a military expert from the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, suggested that Portnov’s assassination eliminated him as a potential candidate in future presidential elections in Ukraine. And RT’s Editor-in-Chief Margarita Simonyan warned that Kyiv would engage in “an indefinite assassination campaign”, implying the possibility of future murders in other European cities.

The People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) diplomats and state media focused on two main narratives this week: 

• Gaza: On TikTok, CGTN Europe generated more than 185,000 views promoting a speech by Iranian officials attacking US policy in Gaza, more than 160,000 views with footage of ice-cream company Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Ben Cohen interrupting a US Senate hearing by protesting “US funding of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza”, and more than 60,000 views with a video of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presenting plans to “take over all of Gaza”. PRC state media, especially CGTN Europe, relayed Arab leaders’ demands for an end to the war, Spain’s calls for Israel to be excluded from Eurovision, the United Kingdom’s suspension of trade negotiations with “egregious” Israel, and a “rare concerted move” by Canada, France, and the United Kingdom to threaten sanctions against Israel. It also showcased global protests commemorating the Nakba.
• Huawei: Last Friday, the spokesperson for the PRC MFA criticized US guidance that using Huawei chips risks violating US export controls, calling on the United States “to drop its protectionist acts and unilateral bullying”. That criticism was relayed by PRC diplomats in Ireland, Japan, and Pakistan. On Monday, there was a coordinated push involving diplomats from Argentina, Brazil, Czechia, France, Ghana, Iraq, the United States, and Uruguay to promote the launch of new Huawei products powered by the company’s self-developed operating system. PRC diplomats and state media outlets also advertised the tech giant’s solar panel push in Africa, as well as its driverless mining trucks.

Romanian far-right candidate contests election loss, citing baseless claims of fraud, foreign interference: Romanian far-right candidate George Simion is contesting his loss in last weekend’s presidential election rerun, citing dubious allegations of vote buying and foreign interference from France and Moldova, after the Romanian Constitutional Court overturned presidential election results last November due to reports of Russian interference in the vote. Senior Manager for Europe and Fellow Vassilis Ntousas tells the Dispatch, “Simion’s post-election allegations of foreign interference, made largely without substantiating evidence, appear aimed at reinforcing his party’s and platform’s ultranationalist message following a clear electoral defeat. The timing suggests a strategic effort to maintain political relevance and mobilize supporters after the loss. Raising concerns about electoral integrity is legitimate, but the lack of verifiable proof risks further diminishing public confidence in Romania’s democratic institutions. This rhetoric reflects a broader pattern seen across parts of Europe, where certain political actors see questioning electoral outcomes as a useful means to energize their base and challenge mainstream, pro-European narratives.”

EU sanctions target Russia’s hybrid-warfare operations: The EU unveiled new sanctions against 21 individuals and six entities responsible for Russian information warfare and sabotage in Europe, Africa, and elsewhere, including further sanctions against the Russian propaganda website “Voice of Europe”, members of Russia’s military intelligence for their involvement in activities aimed at undermining democratic processes in Estonia, and individuals linked to spreading pro-Kremlin narratives across Africa. Research Analyst Etienne Soula says, “This sanctions package reflects the troubling escalation in Russian kinetic operations, both in the nature of activities, which now include arson and sabotage, and in their geographic scope, extending from Europe to Africa. It is encouraging to see the EU persist in addressing these threats, but whether current measures are sufficient to deter a Kremlin that increasingly operates without restraint remains an open question.”

In Case You Missed It

• Romanian, Polish, and Ukrainian authorities identified campaigns linked to the Kremlin-linked influence group Doppelgänger that used inauthentic online personas to advance divisive narratives about the first two countries’ elections this weekend.
• An inauthentic video bearing the Euronews logo and falsely alleging that Romania sent France a “protest note” for meddling in the Romanian election via Telegram has circulated on social media, but it has not yet been attributed to a specific threat actor.
• The EU announced emergency short-term funding worth €5.5 million to help Radio Free Europe stay afloat amid Trump administration cuts to the outlet.
• An apparent glitch caused the AI chatbot Grok to offer claims about “white genocide” in South Africa in response to unrelated prompts on X during Wednesday of last week.

The views expressed in GMF publications and commentary are the views of the author alone.