At the Frankfurt Book Fair, the investigative media organization CORRECTIV introduced their latest publication, “Europas Brandstifter: Putins Krieg gegen den Westen”. This book, released on October 16, 2024, compiles over a decade of research into Russia's disinformation campaigns and their impact on Europe.

Russia’s disinformation campaigns have become a powerful weapon in its geopolitical arsenal. These operations aim to weaken Western democracies, foster division, and promote extremist parties across Europe. Supported by troll armies, bots, and state-controlled media, the scale of Russia’s disinformation war is staggering. A recent report by the European Commission, titled “Digital Services Act: Application of the Risk Management Framework to Russian Disinformation Campaigns,” found that over 165 million people were reached by pro-Russian and anti-EU fake news in the first year after the war in Ukraine began, generating at least 16 billion page views.

CORRECTIV’s book delves deep into these disinformation strategies, revealing how they are tailored to specific nations and target key influencers. It explores leaked documents from Russia’s propaganda agency SDA, which describe efforts to boost support for extremist parties in Europe, particularly Germany’s AfD. The book also examines how Russian narratives have infiltrated German politics, aiming to increase the AfD’s voter share and promote a coalition with Sahra Wagenknecht's movement as part of a so-called “peace initiative.”

“Europas Brandstifter: Putins Krieg gegen den Westen” doesn’t just focus on contemporary tactics—it also connects these to Russia’s history of covert influence. CORRECTIV explores Putin's early years in Dresden, the Gazprom lobbying network, and corruption within Russia’s political and judicial systems. The book also exposes the human cost of Russia's policies, from violence in its military to war crimes committed by Russian soldiers.

For anyone interested in understanding the broader implications of Russia’s hybrid warfare, this book provides invaluable insights into how disinformation threatens not only Ukraine but the stability of Europe itself. By sharing this book, we would like to encourage informed discussions and foster awareness of the critical importance of fighting disinformation.

This book is a must-read for anyone looking to grasp the full scope of Putin's war against the West and the broader impacts of disinformation on European unity.

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It also pairs excellently with the works of Anne Applebaum, which we have recommended on several occasions. On October 20th, at the close of the Frankfurt Book Fair, Applebaum was awarded the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade for her significant contributions to understanding autocratic regimes. Her books, “Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism”, “Autocracy, Inc: The Dictators Who Want to Run the World”, and “Die Achse der Autokraten: Korruption, Kontrolle, Propaganda: Wie Diktatoren sich gegenseitig an der Macht halten”, offer a compelling analysis of the rise of authoritarianism and its global impact. Together with “Europas Brandstifter: Putins Krieg gegen den Westen”, these books provide essential reading for anyone looking to understand the threats posed by authoritarianism and disinformation in today’s world.