Swedish Official Warns Russian Bots Target German, French Elections

A senior Swedish official dedicated to countering disinformation has warned of a Russian threat to upcoming elections in major European democracies, emphasizing the need for social media platforms to intensify their efforts against Moscow's bot networks, according to a report by Politico magazine. In an interview with the magazine, Magnus Hjort, Director-General of the Swedish Psychological Defence Agency, explained that elections present an "opportunity" for Russian President Vladimir Putin's information warfare machine to create polarization and division within European societies. Hjort added that the Kremlin's primary goal is to make voters question the continued dispatch of money and weapons to Kyiv by their politicians, through promoting fabricated stories about corruption and other alleged abuses in Ukraine. Hjort and his team do not believe Moscow is targeting Sweden's general election on Sunday, partly due to the prevailing unity in the country behind the policy of supporting Ukraine. Instead, Hjort indicated that Russia is focusing its efforts on more influential European nations facing imminent elections, including state elections in Germany and the presidential election in France, where far-right parties, perceived as more sympathetic to Moscow, are expected to make electoral gains. Hjort stated: "Our assessments indicate that Russia prioritizes other elections, other countries, and the larger countries in Europe." He further added: "We have upcoming elections in Germany at the regional and local levels, and France will hold a presidential election next year." These remarks from Hjort follow earlier warnings about Russian attempts to influence voters in Germany this month, as well as widespread controversy ahead of Sweden's Sunday election regarding links between a far-right official and Moscow. Concerns are growing in Germany about the "hybrid warfare" waged by the Kremlin, which has so far included a drone attack on Leipzig airport, as well as fake posts and videos on social media accusing electoral candidates of corruption and sexual offenses. Other elections are scheduled for September 20 in Berlin and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, where the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is expected to achieve strong results. In France, Marine Le Pen, whose National Rally party has faced past criticism for its sympathy towards Russia, leads opinion polls in the run-up to next year's presidential election. It is worth noting that Russian-backed entities have targeted Sweden with disinformation and influence campaigns in recent years, including during the critical period preceding the country's accession to NATO. Hjort called for social media platforms to exert more effort in dismantling bot networks that spread misinformation and conduct influence campaigns. Responding to a question about his satisfaction with the efforts of companies like Meta, TikTok, and X in addressing this issue, Hjort replied: "Regarding the platforms? No, I think they should do more to keep their platforms free from these bot networks; so there is room for improvement." He noted that social media giants have their own "agenda," which is "making money," adding: "We have a different agenda; we want to get rid of the bot networks targeting our democracies. Of course, they don't want them on their platforms – that's not the problem – but removing them is a burden and a hassle." Hjort continued: "We need to step up our efforts, find better ways to protect our democracies. We need to work with our counterparts in European countries, and find a way to have effective and fruitful dialogue with these platforms." **"Matryoshka" Tactic** Hjort mentioned that his agency monitors a "continuous flow" of information manipulation and foreign interference from countries including Russia, China, and Iran. In recent days, his team found evidence indicating an attempt to launch a pro-Russian disinformation campaign using the "Matryoshka" (or Russian doll) tactic. He explained that the goal of this tactic is to distract fact-checkers, journalists, and others by sending emails stating: "Look what the Russians are doing." He further elaborated: "The idea is to get them to pick it up, go and watch the video or content in question, then publish it with a debunk explaining that it’s (false), which ultimately leads to wasting their time dealing with these matters." Hjort believes the best way to handle these campaigns is simply to deprive them of "oxygen of interaction." He stated: "Many of these things should be ignored" rather than falling into the Russian "trap," adding: "They want to entice you to interact, to provoke your anger or enthusiasm. They want you to react, and to share information that leads to polarization... So, it's best to leave it unaddressed." **"Holiday Network"** Hjort reported that a government entity, whose name authorities have not publicly disclosed, was responsible for a "Holiday Network" comprising 1,200 automated accounts (bots) on the X platform. This network targeted Sweden and other countries in an attempt to sow division within societies. It was named the "Holiday Network" because the accounts initially focused on seemingly innocent and uncontroversial topics, such as holidays and sports. The agency indicated that the network published a total of 50,000 posts and comments during 2025 and 2026, containing views deliberately aimed at inciting division, by showing strong support or opposition to core political issues. Hjort commented: "This is the way to go if you want to create polarization in society." The agency head stated that his team is prepared to handle any developments in the final days leading up to the Swedish election, working in close coordination with security agencies, election authorities, and the Civil Contingencies Agency, within an organizational structure specifically established to protect democracy. Currently, Hjort expresses no concern about the potential for Russian influence on the election campaign, saying: "Our assessment of the situation indicates that there is no coordinated campaign currently targeting Sweden." Perhaps the greatest risk facing Sunday's election lies in an exaggeration of public concern about Russian influence. In this regard, Hjort stated: "Perhaps the fear of foreign interference is one of the biggest problems, as there may be an overestimation of the threat, which could lead some to claim that the elections were not fair or that they were targeted, which could harm efforts to form a stable government after the elections."