Securing Democracy Dispatch

Research on information operations rarely extends beyond single-language textual analysis, neglecting “the critical role visuals play in spreading influence.” ASD’s Information Laundromat now contains an automated reverse image detection feature that “allows researchers and policymakers to quickly trace how visual narratives are propagated through complex networks”, Senior Investigative Research Officer Peter Benzoni explains.

Russian state media has used image-reuse strategies to continue to launder content to regions of geopolitical interest, including “Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Africa, and parts of Asia”, Benzoni finds using this new tool. Read more of his findings here!

The EU has made great strides to combat foreign interference, but corruption scandals that have shaken Europe in recent years highlight a key vulnerability. The EU’s proposed Anti-Corruption Directive would help close existing gaps on this front, Research Analyst Etienne Soula and Trainee Benedict Newman-Sanders write.

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

• US-EU Trade Agreement: Russian officials and state media gloated over the potential consequences of new tariffs on the EU and US economies. Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of Russia Dmitri Medvedev assessed that “[US President Donald] Trump wiped the floor with Europe” and the Russian Center for Political Information described the trade agreement as the “stripping of Europe”.  Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova speculated that the EU could have prevented tariffs by receiving gas from Russia and that the new agreement would multiply costs for European citizens and destroy European industries. RT Deutsch proclaimed that US tariffs have led to an economic recession in Germany, noting that the German economy shrunk in the second quarter of 2025. RT en Español added that the economic costs of tariffs could be passed on to US consumers.
• Trump’s Ultimatum: Russian officials and propaganda outlets reacted defiantly to Trump’s ultimatum to reach a ceasefire agreement with Ukraine or face steep economic sanctions. Medvedev declared that Trump had no say in imposing a peace agreement and threatened the United States with the possibility of a war with Russia. Propagandist Vladimir Solovyov echoed this warning, saying Russia “never charmed” Trump, and emphasizing that Russians have their strength, weapons, principles, and will. Russian State Duma deputy Leonid Ivlev suggested that Trump’s ultimatum means he still does not have a concrete plan for Ukraine. Sputnik Brasil highlighted that Trump had repeatedly changed his position and claimed that the shortening of the timeline indicated Trump’s weakness. Moscow 24 noted that global markets also did not believe in Trump’s promise that the United States could replace all Russian oil exports if the proposed sanctions took effect, pointing to a jump in crude prices after Trump’s announcement. 

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

• EU-China Summit: Last week, PRC diplomats and state media provided extensive coverage of the EU-China summit taking place in Beijing. The overall tone was upbeat, focusing on the history of productive ties between both powers. CGTN relayed Xi Jinping’s characterization of the PRC and the EU as two “big guys” in the international community, while the PRC MFA highlighted the economic benefits both sides had derived from this relationship. The PRC Embassy in the United States emphasized China’s economic rise since the EU and the PRC started working together. CGTN also platformed pro-PRC foreign voices, notably from Spain and Belgium. Tensions remained, however, as the MFA dismissed EU concerns about overcapacity as “a pretext for protectionism” and the head of China Daily in Europe bemoaned European “negative thinking”.
• US-EU Trade Agreement: By contrast, PRC messaging related to the US-EU trade deal was broadly negative, with CGTN highlighting a “dismayed” EU with lingering “concerns over tariff imbalance”. CGTN Europe also relayed Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s assessment that “Trump ate [European Commission President] Ursula von der Leyen for breakfast”. The Global Times emphasized the “awkward” personal chemistry between the two leaders and amplified a BBC article about a “downbeat EU response” to the deal. Xinhua cited European officials calling the agreement “not satisfactory”, described “widespread criticism across Europe”, and quoted a Swedish expert denouncing the “financial pressure and strategic strain” that the deal would impose on the EU.

Iranian diplomats and state media focused on one main narrative this week:

• Gaza Criticism: Iranian state messengers dedicated significant coverage to the hunger crisis in Gaza. Iranian officials and state media tried to stress its magnitude, amplifying assessments that the “devastation in Gaza is worse than Hiroshima” and flooding social media with evocative reports, images, and videos of Gazans suffering from extreme hunger. Iran’s Embassy in the Hague posted a cartoon of an emaciated child struggling to open a locked cage that held a baby bottle, with the caption “even bread, milk, and water are prisoners”. Furthermore, Iranian state media lambasted Israel for its “deliberate starvation campaign”, pointing out the “rotting food” across the Rafah border due to Israel’s blockades and calling Tel Aviv’s recent aid drops a “propaganda stunt”. Press TV claimed that Israel and the United States’ votes against the UN resolution suggest that the starvation in Gaza is “premeditated”.

Information campaign spoofs Ukrainian outlet to spread false claim Kyiv sanctioned US conservatives: A likely Russian-linked information campaign impersonated the Ukrainian English-language news outlet the Kyiv Independent, placing its logo on inauthentic videos and social-media posts that falsely claimed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sanctioned prominent American conservatives, including commentator Tucker Carlson, US Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, and Donald Trump, Jr. Open-Source Intelligence Analyst Larissa Doroshenko writes, “This information campaign either comes from Storm-1516, or closely follows its playbook of creating divisive false videos that mimic legitimate media outlets’ branding to undermine support for Ukraine. Previous videos from this operation featured whistleblowers, so the appearance of Zelenskyy’s deepfake video signifies further technological advancements to generate such content and potential tactical shifts. The timing is not coincidental—the video appeared on July 28, the day Trump set a new deadline for Russia to stop the war in Ukraine. This campaign tries to weaken American conservatives’ determination to support Ukraine and put pressure on Russia after this deadline.”

Trump bans “ideological bias” in AI companies working with US government: US President Donald Trump signed an executive order (EO) last week that requires artificial intelligence (AI) companies working with the federal government to ensure their chatbots are free of “partisan or ideological judgment”, singling out diversity, equity, and inclusion standards. Senior Fellow Bret Schafer says, “On the surface, a commitment to ensuring that AI models are free from ideological bias is welcome. The wording of the EO, however, makes it clear that this is less about a true commitment to improving AI systems than yet another chapter in the administration’s anti-‘woke’ crusade.”

In Case You Missed It

• The five leading Chinese AI models answered inaccurately 60% of the time to queries about issues the PRC deems sensitive, including responding with pro-Beijing narratives about Taiwan, NewsGuard researchers found.
• Several British emergency-services call handlers’ voices were cloned using AI as part of a Russian influence campaign that sought to increase societal divisions before Poland’s presidential election in May.
• Polish authorities have detained 32 individuals of at least five different nationalities suspected of working with Russian intelligence to carry out kinetic operations since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
• Moldovan President Maia Sandu warned of “unprecedented” Russian interference in Moldova’s parliamentary election this September using cyberattacks, information campaigns, and malign finance.

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