It is “a fact that Russia is trying to destabilize the European Union” and influencing internal politics “is one of the tools it uses, along with disinformation”. Internal actors, who can also be politicians, may be part of the efforts that Russia is making, “with hybrid attacks”, to “destabilize the EU”.
“Classifying political actors is up to the Member States, not us, but we observe disinformation campaigns conducted by state and non-state actors. And the Kremlin’s disinformation is sometimes used by political parties” in Europe. This was stated by the spokesman of the European Commission for Foreign Affairs Peter Stano, responding, during the press briefing in Brussels, about the government crises in Italy and Bulgaria and the possible connection with destabilization attempts favored by Moscow.
They are clear to speak “in general”, without reference to individual situations. The use of disinformation in the Kremlin by European political actors, he adds, “is something that we observe on open sources”. However, it is up to the states “to be resilient and to protect themselves. But we are well aware of the fact that Russia is trying to destabilize the EU and its member states”, he concludes.
Concern also from the US, “President Biden has great admiration for the Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi and is obviously following the events in Rome closely,” Biden’s National Security Advisor said during a briefing with journalists in Saudi Arabia.