Rome/Brussels – July 28, 2025
At a time when Europe is facing renewed waves of disinformation, Italian fact-checking and propaganda monitoring expert Simone Fontana has raised the alarm over the growing aggressiveness of Russian campaigns—not only in countries with fragile institutions, but also in those with consolidated democracies.
In an interview with The Geopost, Fontana emphasized that Russian propaganda is becoming increasingly present within European media itself, especially in Italy, by exploiting uncertainties and lack of clarity within the European Union.
According to Fontana, Moscow’s hybrid attacks are not aimed solely at the EU due to the sanctions imposed against Russia, but also at influencing public opinion, which is becoming more sensitive to manipulative narratives.
Regarding the Balkans, Fontana recommends a practical approach: increasing media literacy and educating citizens to read and interpret information critically—as the most effective protection against disinformation campaigns.
The Geopost: Have you observed an increase in Russian disinformation efforts during the past month?
Fontana:
Russian disinformation remains largely the same—it’s highly aggressive and widespread in every country, especially in Northern and Central Europe, where institutions are strong but the public debate surrounding the Russia–Ukraine situation is very weak.
And I’m from Italy. I monitor disinformation in Italy, and Russian propaganda about Ukraine is the main subject in the current disinformation landscape.
The Geopost: Have you observed an increase in Russian disinformation targeting the EU, particularly after the latest EU sanctions against the Russian Federation?
Fontana:
Yes, this is a continuing process because Russian disinformation is targeting the European Union as a result of the many sanctions the EU has imposed on Russia.
But in recent months, it has become more aggressive, and that means the EU appears weaker. Right now, there is no clear direction within Europe on where the EU is heading, and that gives a lot of space to Russia and its propaganda.
And this is no longer just traditional propaganda or disinformation—it is now inside Italian and European media, and that is extremely dangerous.
The Geopost: What steps should Balkan countries take to effectively counter Russian disinformation campaigns?
Fontana:
I believe what we must do is rely on media literacy.
Because it’s very difficult to counter Russian propaganda at the source, we must instead focus on the readers, the users, and the people who are targeted by that propaganda.
And media literacy—explaining to people how to read the news, how to identify and fight disinformation themselves—is, in my opinion, the only viable solution we have right now.
Interview originally published by The Geopost. Reported by RKS.
