Russian disinformation network targets politicians ahead of EU elections

A growing Russian disinformation network is targeting European Union countries ahead of the EU Parliament elections scheduled for June, researchers say, largely focused on spreading false claims about the war in Ukraine and political leaders who are critical of Russia.

The disinformation network, which operates under the "Pravda" name and masquerades as news websites, is now targeting all 27 EU countries with its content. Researchers from the European Digital Media Observatory say the network's use of artificial intelligence to produce high volumes of content provides an insight into Russia's disinformation tactics ahead of the U.S. presidential election. 

Darren Linvill, a professor at Clemson University in South Carolina who specializes in social media disinformation research, told CBS News that Russian disinformation tactics have evolved. "Russians are masters at narrative laundering, the process of placing a false or misleading story and then weaving it into online conversations in such a way that the original source is obscured," he said.