Investigators publish documents detailing Russia’s hybrid operations in Europe

According to the Center for Countering Disinformation under Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, the findings were reported on Telegram, Ukrinform says.

Analysts cited documents obtained by journalists from Delfi Estonia and shared with the international investigative network Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP).

According to the leak, Moscow uses the sanctioned Social Design Agency to organize these operations, with the group’s activities reportedly overseen directly by officials from the Russian presidential administration.

The released files reveal detailed planning of hybrid attacks for 2025–2026, including incidents such as planting pig heads near mosques in Paris, vandalizing a Holocaust museum, and a plan to deface a monument to Charles de Gaulle while framing so-called “Ukrainian nationalists.”

The documents also mention a disinformation project spreading false claims about the “elite real estate” allegedly owned by Volodymyr Zelensky, describing it internally as a “successful campaign.”

The Center for Countering Disinformation said the investigation demonstrates the enormous scale and systematic nature of Russia’s covert influence network in Europe. According to the Center, the Kremlin’s recruitment of agents abroad to conduct information operations creates a long-term hybrid threat requiring stronger oversight of Russia-linked structures across Europe.

Earlier, Polish intelligence services warned that Russia is expanding hybrid operations in EU countries by involving radicalized youth, criminal groups, and foreign nationals.

Photo: AA