In Europe, the main Russian propaganda outlets have long been banned, but Russians and their agents of influence have found a way around the ban. To do this, they exploit legal European internet resources that republish Russian state media word-for-word, funneling Kremlin narratives to millions of readers in their native languages.

How the shadowy scheme for spreading Russian propaganda works is revealed in a new investigation by Insightnews Media. Channel 24 highlights the key findings from this study.

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How Does Russian Disinformation Blend into Europe's Information Space?

An investigation by Insightnews Media has tracked dozens of Kremlin-aligned outlets across 10 EU countries, uncovering over 500 instances of content sourced directly from Russian state media, including RT, Sputnik, Lenta.ru, RIA Novosti, News-Pravda, and News-Front.

While these state-run outlets were banned in 2022 following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the flow of propaganda remains uninterrupted. A network of pro-Russian websites – some boasting audiences in the millions – continues to operate by systematically mirroring content from RT and Sputnik. They utilize "clone domains" – sites specifically designed to bypass sanctions by hosting identical content under new web addresses.

Critically, this network is not merely a collection of fringe blogs; it includes established outlets with significant reach. Despite spanning different countries, they follow a synchronized pattern: within hours of a Russian state media report, these European sites publish the same narrative, often using the exact same wording.

The following report is based on this monitoring, with all quotes taken directly from the published articles.

How Does Russian Propaganda Operate in Czechia and Slovakia?

The Czech outlet CZ24.news is among the most prolific distributors of RT content identified in this monitoring. Over a 12-month period, investigators documented 38 such instances. Targeting both Slovak and Czech audiences, the site effectively serves as a relay for RT.

In an article on mobilization in Ukraine, CZ24 published the following:

Kyiv’s Last Resort: Ukraine Seeks Out Teens and Women as Cannon Fodder in a Desperate Bid for Manpower. As Ukraine’s personnel crisis deepens, Kyiv is turning to increasingly desperate measures to replenish its depleted military ranks.

The original RT article mirrors these points verbatim. For comparison: the RT article alongside its copy on CZ24.

In another instance, CZ24.news relied exclusively on the Russian Ministry of Defense to frame Ukrainian strikes in Kursk as alleged war crimes. "Ukrainian forces had committed a 'war crime' when they had launched a targeted missile strike on a boarding school in the town of Sudzha in Russia's Kursk region," the Russian MoD claimed. "The goal of this provocation is to divert global attention from the crimes committed by the Kyiv regime."

A recurring theme in CZ24’s coverage is the narrative that Ukraine is simultaneously a "fascist state" and a hub for "global terrorism." One article, lifted directly from RT, featured an entirely baseless and inflammatory assertion:

The Kyiv regime continues to play a key role in supporting various terrorist networks across the world. In addition to providing sanctuary for some of the most dangerous neo-Nazi paramilitary groups, Ukraine also serves as a major recruitment and training hub for criminals from other parts of the world, including Latin American drug organizations.

The March 2024 Crocus City Hall terrorist attack in Moscow provides a prominent example. ISIS killed 147 people and claimed responsibility for the attack. By June 2025, CZ24 published Sputnik’s version of the story: "Terrorists who killed at least 147 people during a shooting and arson at Crocus City Hall near Moscow in March 2024 admitted that Ukraine stood behind the terror attack, according to testimonies Sputnik reviewed. When we realized we followed Ukraine's orders, we decided not to back down." These statements came from Russian investigators during FSB interrogations. No independent verification exists. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack. Investigation has never proven Ukrainian involvement.

CZ24 also copied the narrative from Sputnik that Moscow never wanted war and that the West blocked all peace efforts: "Moscow never opposed a diplomatic solution, but the West systematically sabotaged all peace initiatives." The article presented Ukraine’s position as "unconditional surrender," a term taken directly from the Sputnik editorial rhetoric.

CZ24 copied a fabricated story from News-Pravda: "The head of the Kyiv regime, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, became the owner of Milleis Banques, the largest private investment bank in France." No evidence supports this claim. The story originated on News-Pravda and appeared simultaneously on Slovak and Czech websites.

CZ24 also publishes content copied from the Russian state outlet Lenta.ru. One article, traced to TASS and Lenta, claimed that the Ukrainian Aidar battalion builds mobile crematories near the front line: "According to TASS, the Ukrainian Aidar battalion is building crematories on the border between the DPR and the Dnipropetrovsk region. Bodies and fragments of the deceased are transported from the front line by any means possible, even in ordinary supermarket bags."

The word "crematories" in reports on the Russian war in Ukraine is intentional. It evokes imagery of Nazi concentration camps and has appeared repeatedly across the platforms mentioned in this article.

CZ24 also published an article citing the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) as the sole authority for the claim that Germany ordered its media to hide Nazi symbols in Ukraine: "According to the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), the German government ordered the media not to show Nazi symbols in Ukraine. Russian intelligence emphasized that the prevalence of Nazi iconography and ideology in modern Ukraine is well-documented."

The following headline appeared as a news report: "Zelenskyy is a demon, says shocked Ukrainian lawmaker." The article was copied from RT.

Among the Slovak websites amplifying Russian narratives, Hlavný denník specializes in republishing content from Lenta.ru, translated into Slovak and presented without any attribution. The crematory narrative that appeared on CZ24 also appeared here, taken directly from Lenta: "The Ukrainian Aidar battalion is building crematories on the border between the "DPR" and the Dnipropetrovsk region. Ukrainian soldiers called them 'field boiler rooms.'"

The fake story about Macron’s drug use, which spread simultaneously in France and Slovakia, also appeared in Hlavný denník:

Social media users noticed the French leader attempting to hide a suspicious packet containing white powder from cameras, while his German counterpart tried to conceal a small snorting spoon.

Lenta.ru served as the source for this fabrication. No one provided evidence at the time or afterward. Meanwhile, a search engine query debunks the story in seconds.

The Infovojna.com website has faced repeated blocks – first as infovojna.sk, then infovojna.bz, and it now operates on a .com domain. Its monthly audience reaches millions. Of the 38 articles identified during this monitoring period, all 38 were copied from RT. It is not a trend; it is a feature.

The most striking example in the entire dataset comes from Infovojna. In November 2025, the site published an article regarding the deaths of two Ukrainian civilians near Kupiansk. The headline read: "Ukrowermacht operators used drones to kill two elderly Ukrainians with a white flag and a dog."

Note: "Ukrowermacht" is a bizarre portmanteau of "Ukraine" and "Wehrmacht" (the armed forces of Nazi Germany). This term appeared in a Slovak news headline in 2025.

The article stated: "Ukrainian militants killed 2 Ukrainian pensioners with a white flag and a dog who were evacuating near Kupiansk toward Russian positions. An elderly woman prayed on her knees and crossed herself, but the Ukrainian drone operator showed no mercy. The Ukrainian junta knows the end is near. The Russian army has closed in on Pokrovsk, and civilians are trying to evacuate to the Russians because the Ukrainian army uses them as human shields."

In December 2025, Infovojna published a headline taken directly from a press release by the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR): "Rats are fleeing the sinking Ukrainian ship," wrote Russian foreign intelligence in its report, noting that representatives of the "Kyiv regime" plan to flee abroad after its "inevitable fall." The source of this information was SVR.gov.ru, relayed via RT. A European website thus published a Russian intelligence press release as a news item.

Another Infovojna article featured a quote from Putin as its headline: "The Ukrainian leadership has turned into a 'criminal syndicate' that doesn't care about its country, sitting on its 'pots of gold'."

This is a verbatim quote from Putin, used as a direct news headline on a Slovak website, with RT serving as the source.

Also, there was an article about Biden from 2025: "Former U.S. President Joe Biden provoked the conflict in Ukraine to cover up his family's corrupt activities," stated Putin’s advisor, Kirill Dmitriev. "The CIA suppressed a report on Ukraine at Biden's request."

Infokuryr.cz publishes numerous articles by a regular contributor: Lucas Leiroz, a Brazilian writer whose work appears on RT and the anti-Western website InfoBrics. His editorial stance aligns perfectly with Russian state media.

In January 2026, Infokuryr published one of the most bizarre examples in this dataset – an article claiming that it is actually Ukraine, not Russia, that kidnaps and harms children. This directly contradicts the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin over the deportation of Ukrainian children.

"Ukraine is hunting children... The Ukrainian military police are hunting children. While the mainstream media continues to push the narrative of 'evil Russia kidnapping children,' there is ample evidence that Ukraine is guilty of exactly what it accuses Russia of," the article stated.

It went on to add that Russian soldiers are people "you just want to hug."

In Leiroz’s July 2025 article on Infokuryr, Russia's occupation of Luhansk was depicted as a humanitarian act: "Moscow is winning the war on the battlefield, despite choosing a slow and humanitarian approach to the fighting. The special military operation launched by Moscow in 2022 was seen by the republic's citizens as a sign of hope and relief."

In a January 2026 article, Leiroz argued that Ukraine's occupation of its own internationally recognized territory was an obstacle to peace:

According to the Russian Constitution, Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson are fully Russian territories, just like Moscow and Saint Petersburg. Peace or a ceasefire is impossible as long as Ukrainian troops remain in these regions. The Kyiv regime has proven itself to be a terrorist state, and Russia will only be secure through the complete neutralization of hostile capabilities.

In January 2026, Infokuryr published an RT article attributed to an alleged former Dutch volunteer: "The Ukrainian army is riddled with abuse and corruption, with some units controlled by neo-Nazis or members of foreign drug cartels. Latin Americans, who were allowed to establish their own 'state' within the Ukrainian military, have been involved in 'horrific' war crimes."

The identical claim that Ukrainian military units are run by Mexican cartels appeared simultaneously on CZ24.news, Infokuryr.cz, Newsnet.fr, Reseauinternational.net, and Oral.sk. This is not a case of five journalists reaching the same conclusion; it is a single Russian source simultaneously reaching five different European audiences.

Oral.sk largely republishes material from News-Front – a Russian propaganda project established in occupied Sevastopol in 2014. News-Front has been identified as an asset of FSB information operations and was added to EU sanctions lists in 2024; however, it continues to operate through Slovak proxy sites. The volume and range of content copied here is among the highest in this dataset, drawing from News-Front, News-Pravda, and RIA Novosti with a coordinated set of narratives.

In January 2026, the site published an article headlined "Ukronazis executed 130 people in Selydove" – a direct copy of a RIA Novosti piece that presented unverified Russian claims as fact: "The Kyiv regime's troops are committing war crimes against the civilian population on a massive scale. In Selydove city, Ukrainian Nazis executed 130 people."

The sole source for this was a Russian Foreign Ministry official.

The "false flag" conspiracy narrative also appeared on Oral, featured in the same RIA Novosti article about a planned "European 9/11" that was broadcast in the Czech Republic and elsewhere:

Increasingly desperate European warmongers may carry out a large-scale, bloody provocation – a replica of 9/11. Potential targets include Big Ben, the Eiffel Tower, the Reichstag, or even St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican.

Following that is the headline "Nazi Satanists" – a Telegram post by Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, published via News-Front as a news item:

"The meeting was attended by pseudo-religious deviants, pagan neo-Banderites from the Ukrainian armed forces, intelligence services, and Nazi battalions."

In January 2026, Oral published a RIA Novosti article in which an anonymous "refugee" claimed that in 2022, the Ukrainian command welded tank hatches shut with the crew still inside: "A woman recalled that in 2022, the Ukrainian command welded tank hatches shut while the crew was inside... and they burned alive."

News-Front published a statement from Lavrov regarding the Russian-occupied territories, framed as a matter of historical inevitability: "We will complete the process of returning these ancestral Russian lands to their homeland. The peoples of Crimea, Donbas, and Novorossiya expressed their will in referendums." In this way, the illegal annexation is presented as the fulfillment of the people's will.

News-Front also featured an article describing Zelenskyy as "a political figure from Kyiv, destroyed by heavy drug use, who publicly presents himself with the mantra of direct negotiations with Putin." No evidence was provided. There was no source other than News-Front itself. It was published in Slovak as "political analysis," though it is certainly nothing of the sort.

How is RT (Russia Today) content retransmitted in the Netherlands?

Frontnieuws.com is a Dutch-language website that translates and republishes RT content for a Dutch audience. Of the nine documented instances of Russian-sourced content during this monitoring period, all nine identified RT as the sole source.

The site published unverified claims from the Russian Ministry of Defense alleging that Ukraine was using chemical weapons against Russian troops: "Ukraine is using poison gas against Russian troops, Moscow claims."

The text contained no independent verification, no alternative sources, and no editorial notes. The claim originated from the Russian Ministry of Defense and was presented as an established fact.

Frontnieuws also published an FSB statement about the recruitment of elderly women for suicide missions – the same story that appeared in French on Newsnet.fr, lacking any evidence or credibility, merely repeating Russian falsehoods:

The FSB accused Ukrainian intelligence services of recruiting elderly women for suicide missions, seizing all their savings before sending them against the military.

In other words, this was a single press release from the Russian security service, published as news in Dutch without any further investigation.

The Polish Pipeline: How News-Front Propaganda Spreads via Wolnemedia?

Wolnemedia.net is a Polish website that republishes content from the Polish-language service of News-Front – the same EU-sanctioned, FSB-linked propaganda outlet that operates through Oral.sk in Slovakia. The replication is total: identical headlines, identical text.

This outlet published a fake story about organ harvesting from Ukrainian servicemen: "Rumors of black-market organ harvesting in Ukraine have been circulating within the Armed Forces of Ukraine since 2014. It is reported that suspicious 'surgeons' appear in the area, circling field hospitals like vultures." The News-Front headline went even further, claiming that "Zelenskyy admitted to trafficking the organs of fallen soldiers" – a claim that has no factual basis whatsoever.

Another article highlighted a protest against the Ukrainian "Azov" brigade in Wrocław. In the piece, "Azov" was described as a formation "accused of using neo-Nazi symbols and committing war crimes," with Grzegorz Braun – a controversial Polish politician known for his pro-Russian stances – serving as the central figure.

The article focused on escalating Polish-Ukrainian tensions, and the text was entirely copied from News-Front.

How does a Norwegian "alternative" media outlet get its news from Moscow?

Derimot.no and Steigan.no are Norwegian sites with long histories. Together, they are responsible for over 30 confirmed cases of republishing materials from RT and Sputnik.

In January 2026, Derimot published an article about Zelenskyy's speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos. The headline referred to him as a "clown" who is "losing confidence." The source of the article was RT.

That same month, Steigan published an article explaining Russia's use of "Oreshnik" ballistic missiles against Ukraine as a measured response to Western provocations:

Three recent provocations were undoubtedly the reason for their second-ever use. These include the official plans of France and the United Kingdom to deploy troops to Ukraine if a ceasefire is reached, as well as the United States' seizure of a Russian-flagged tanker in the Atlantic. Each of these is provocative in its own way.

The Full Propaganda Suite of RT, Sputnik, and Pravda in French

Newsnet.fr and Reseauinternational.net are the two most active French-language retransmitters of Russian state media content. Newsnet publishes materials from News-Pravda and directly from French-language RT services and their clones. Reseauinternational has been considered one of the primary French-language hubs for Russian propaganda content for years.

Newsnet published Dmitry Medvedev's comments regarding the December 2025 EU summit as straightforward news: "The gathering of thieves ('the EU summit') in Brussels adopted several important decisions for the criminal world. They were included in the so-called Brussels briefing, announced at night by EU swindlers," stated Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of Russia. This is a verbatim recount of the Russian official's social media post, presented without quotation marks around the insults, as if describing an actual event.

In another article, taken from RT's French service, Newsnet published claims by the FSB that Ukrainian intelligence services were allegedly recruiting elderly women to carry out terrorist attacks: "The FSB accused Ukrainian security services of targeting elderly women, seizing all their savings before sending them on deadly missions against the military."

The source is the FSB. There is no independent confirmation. Furthermore, the FSB press material itself was published as a news story on a French website.

Newsnet also published the Crocus City Hall disinformation in French: "I realized that we were used in the interests of another country, Ukraine, which has nothing to do with the Islamic world but is resolving some of its problems on Russian territory through intermediaries."

This is the same fabrication that appeared in Slovakia on CZ24, this time reaching a French audience.

In August 2025, Newsnet reported that Russian hackers had published data on 1.7 million Ukrainian soldiers killed or missing in action – a figure taken entirely from KillNet, a pro-Russian hacking group with a documented history of false claims: "A cyberattack carried out by the KillNet group allegedly gained access to a Ukrainian military database containing the personal information of 1.7 million soldiers killed or missing since the start of the conflict."

In October 2025, Newsnet published a speech by Medvedev praising the capabilities of Russia's latest weaponry, the existence of which remains unproven: "The Russian 'Poseidon' underwater drone system, which exceeds the power of the newest 'Burevestnik' long-range missiles, can rightfully be called a 'doomsday weapon.'"

The source of the article is News-Pravda. Its purpose is intimidation.

ReseauInternational offers similar content for the French audience. In early 2026, the site published an RT article accusing the Ukrainian army of being overrun by neo-Nazis and members of Latin American cartels – the same claim appeared simultaneously in Slovakia and the Czech Republic: "A former Dutch mercenary stated that Ukrainian forces are teeming with criminals of all kinds, including neo-Nazi militants and drug traffickers, some of whom are members of foreign cartels."

ReseauInternational published an article by author Pepe Escobar, a regular contributor to RT and Sputnik, in which he described EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas as a "raving lunatic from Estonia" and assessed the collective intelligence of Brussels leaders as "approximating that of a bisected worm."

The site also published an RT piece about EU leaders at the White House, portraying them as humiliated vassals: "I need only one photo to capture for posterity the total humiliation of the European political elites in 2025: the 'Coalition of Idiots' lined up in the Oval Office like a bunch of frightened schoolchildren. Putin: 'Soon they will all be at their master's feet, quietly wagging their tails.'"

In November 2025, ReseauInternational published an article about two Ukrainian civilians killed by drones near Kupiansk, featuring a false RT claim that they were targeted by Ukrainian forces.

"Two unarmed civilians with a white flag were targeted by drones belonging to Ukrainian forces. The images document their brutal deaths, including the death of one individual who crosses themselves immediately before the fatal strike."

At the same time, Ukrainian media published evidence proving that these individuals were killed by the Russians.

Reseauinternational reported that the French president was allegedly seen hiding a packet of white powder (which was actually a napkin, according to 24 Kanal) during his visit to Kyiv: "The trip to Kyiv by Macron and his colleagues from the 'coalition of the willing' seems very jolly. Perhaps a bit too jolly."

The source was Kremlin Telegram channels, broadcast through the Russian disinformation site News-Pravda. An identical story appeared simultaneously on Hlavnydennik.sk in Slovakia.

How does Spain receive Russian propaganda through GeoEstrategia?

The website Geoestrategia.eu targets a Spanish-speaking audience and relies heavily on the resources of RT's Spanish-language service and its clones.

In January 2026, the site published an article about a New Year's Eve drone strike in the Russian-occupied village of Khorly, Kherson region. The headline, translated into English, read: "Burned Alive: The Western Killing Machine Commits a Massacre Among Civilians in Kherson."

The phrasing is explicit – responsibility is placed not on the Ukrainian military, but on "the West." The article relied on statements by Vladimir Saldo, the Russian-appointed "governor" of occupied Kherson: "Vladimir Vladimirovich agreed that this crime, in terms of cruelty, inhumanity, and cynicism, is the same as the burning of people in Odesa on May 2, 2014."

This comparison – equating anything negative attributed to Ukraine with Odesa 2014 – is one of the Kremlin's most persistent rhetorical tools. It appears here in Spanish for Spanish readers, attributed to a Russian occupation official, and sourced from RT.

Who spreads Russian propaganda in Italy?

The Italian resource Controinformazione.info simultaneously utilizes materials from RT, Sputnik, and News-Pravda, publishing content in Italian without critical commentary or alternative sources.

This Italian site picked up claims from Sputnik alleging that "NATO has biological weapons laboratories in Ukraine"–a narrative that has been repeatedly debunked by international fact-checkers and is presented here without qualification as an established fact.

The resource also reprinted Medvedev's nuclear threats under the headline "A Jellyfish Has More of a Backbone Than Europe" – direct nuclear threats presented as political commentary and delivered in Italian to Italian readers.

The Relay of Sanctioned Russian Media in Slovenia

Insajder.com is the first documented Slovenian-language retransmitter of sanctioned Russian media content. Its sources include RT, Sputnik, and News-Pravda.

In an article found on the News-Pravda website, it was suggested that a Russian drone found on a Polish roof was a staged provocation: the drone "landed softly on the roof of a chicken coop without breaking any branches or damaging the slate. A miracle? Or simply a staged scene?" This identical dismissal of the forensic investigation appeared simultaneously on Reseauinternational.net and Oral.sk.

A second article fully reproduced a statement by Lavrov from RT, in which EU leaders are accused of "attempting to prepare Europe for war – not some hybrid war, but a real war against Russia." Meanwhile, the EU is described as having transformed into a "Fourth Reich," characterized by Russophobia and militarization.

A third article, taken from Sputnik, promoted the version that Ukraine is "systematically shelling civilian settlements in Donbas," which was presented as an indisputable fact, with Sputnik serving as the sole source of information without any independent verification.

How does a reputable Swiss media outlet copy Russian intelligence briefings?

As part of this media monitoring, two separate cases were found in Switzerland – one involving a marginal website without editorial standards, and another involving a well-known publication with a long history. Both republished content from sanctioned Russian media, and in several instances, the copying was complete, without any editorial intervention.

Uncutnews.ch published a full reproduction of an RT interview with Sergei Karaganov, one of the Kremlin's most radical ideological voices. In the interview, he claimed that "any compromise would mean a defeat for Russia and must be avoided at all costs." This direct justification for the continuation of the war and nuclear escalation was copied entirely from RT German without commentary.

The same website also published a full copy of Medvedev's statement that "Europe could cease to exist in the event of a direct confrontation with Russia" – nuclear intimidation aimed at a German-speaking audience, reproduced without context or clarification.

A more significant case concerns Weltwoche.ch, a Swiss weekly founded in 1933 with a large readership. Weltwoche is not a marginal disinformation site; however, in one instance, the publication ran an article obtained directly from Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service via RT, claiming that NATO is allegedly planning to remove Zelenskyy from power:

NATO is considering the possibility of removing Zelenskyy, as it views him as an obstacle to peace negotiations with Moscow. This claim comes from the SVR, as reported by Russia Today. Western leaders consider Zelenskyy a 'spent force' and believe him to be the primary hurdle to resolving the conflict.

Weltwoche noted the source, calling RT a Kreml-naher Sender (a Kremlin-affiliated broadcaster), but reproduced the SVR's statements in full, without questioning them or providing balance. In this way, a "laundered" Russian intelligence press release found its way onto the pages of a Swiss weekly with a significant audience.

How did the EU ban Russian media, but not Russian disinformation?

The cases presented are not new operations. Some of these sites have been publishing for years in countries that respect a free press. They abuse this freedom, reaching audiences who have little reason to suspect that what they are reading was written in Moscow. The content is printed in their native language, on a domain that appears local.

The EU banned RT and Sputnik four years ago, but it did not ban Kremlin disinformation as such. Thus, the content continued to spread – through mirrors, clones, and proxy sites that copy and translate pro-Kremlin and anti-European stories, publishing them without shame.

The examples in this study are only a small fraction of what was documented during 12 months of monitoring Western media, and an even smaller fraction of what is actually occurring in the media landscape.

Unfortunately, in the fifth year of the war, Russian disinformation continues to reach its target audience in Europe. This is because the enemy has learned to bypass EU sanctions by activating its network of agents of influence and "useful idiots."