Fake Videos Target German Candidates | Europe News

Germany’s election season is being hijacked by a slick, Russian-linked disinformation blitz—fake videos smear candidate Eric Stehr with outlandish murder and sex party scandals, using stolen logos of major outlets like FAZ and Spiegel. Dubbed “Operation Overload,” this Matryoshka campaign floods X, Bluesky, and TikTok with 180+ posts, mostly weekdays, targeting regional races as political barometers. The narratives? Pro-Russia, anti-German, anti-EU. While not officially state-sponsored, clues like Russian abbreviations for German parties point to Kremlin-backed private contractors. Videos look real but have telltale flaws; engagement remains low despite viral views. Platforms are acting, but one attempt to remove a video was blocked by X. Stehr’s legal team is preparing a criminal complaint—but the fake news circus isn’t slowing down. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/e6a1d514af52a76b