In June 2024, Dmitry Medvedev announced on Telegram that Russia should turn the lives of westerners into an endless nightmare, until they could no longer distinguish between hair-raising fiction and reality. And that is exactly what is happening. In the months following the invasion of Ukraine, European nations reacted by expelling several hundred Russian agents from their territory. These agents were being expelled for exerting influence, spreading disinformation and working for destabilization. Since then, Moscow has been using the services of third parties to achieve its aims. In October 2023, a Star of David graffiti suddenly appeared on Parisian façades in France - interpreted by many as an anti-Semitic act. As it later turned out, those responsible were from the Republic of Moldova - acting on instructions from Moscow to stir up panic. The action was then publicized on the Internet as part of the large-scale disinformation campaign known as ‘Doppelganger’. Its aim: to undermine citizens' trust, in a bid to weaken democracy. The long-term outcomes of Russia’s hybrid tactics are as yet unclear, but they have certainly managed to sow seeds of uncertainty across Europe.

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