Germany is facing four regional elections in September 2026 that could reshape the country's political landscape. Voters in Saxony-Anhalt, Berlin and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania will elect new state parliaments, while Lower Saxony will hold local elections. The votes are widely seen as an important test for Chancellor Friedrich Merz's federal government.

Ahead of the elections, DW Fact Checkuncovered a large-scale disinformation campaign, with hundreds of fake posts circulating online aimed at discrediting political candidates and portraying Germany as deeply divided. 

Security officials have warned that Russian  disinformation campaigns are intensifying, particularly against critics of Moscow and opponents of the far-right AfD party.

But what evidence is there of foreign interference? How do these influence campaigns work? And could they affect the outcome of the elections?

DW’s head of fact-checking, Joscha Weber, joins DW News to separate fact from fiction.