Russian ‘Matryoshka’ disinformation network has entered Hungarian election campaign

Investigators have uncovered a new wave of disinformation linked to a Russian bot network that is exploiting tensions between Hungary and Ukraine. The campaign spreads fabricated stories and manipulated videos bearing the logos of well-known Western media outlets.

Fake news campaign targets Hungarian audiences

An investigative collaboration between the Russian opposition outlet The Insider and the Bot Blocker project has identified a coordinated disinformation campaign operating on social media, investigative journalist Szabolcs Panyi reported on his Facebook page. According to the researchers, the operation relies on fake videos designed to look like reports from reputable Western organisations.

These materials circulate widely on online platforms and promote several interconnected narratives, many of which involve Hungary or Hungarian interests.

The aim, investigators say, is to generate confusion and manipulate public perception by flooding the information space with misleading or entirely fabricated claims.

Fabricated incidents and statements

Among the stories circulating online are several incidents that never occurred.

One widely shared claim alleges that a Ukrainian refugee named Denys Nikolaychuk was arrested in France after attempting to throw a homemade grenade onto the grounds of the Hungarian embassy in Paris. According to the false narrative, the suspect was released after ten hours because police could not prove he had brought the explosive device with him. Investigators say the entire incident is fictional.

Another fabricated report claims that a human rights organisation documented more than a thousand attacks by Ukrainian refugees against Hungarian citizens across several European countries. A video carrying the logos of Euronews and Human Rights Watch presents the story as a legitimate report, although no such investigation exists.