Russia’s Matryoshka bot network has launched a new disinformation campaign ahead of Spain’s snap parliamentary elections, scheduled for Nov. 29. The bots are spreading claims that European economies are supposedly collapsing because of aid to Ukraine and sanctions against Russia, and that elections cannot change the situation for the better. Instead, the solutions offered by the bots include Spain leaving the European Union, Madrid lifting its anti-Russian sanctions, and even Catalonian secession.
Researchers with the AntiBot4Navalny project, which monitors pro-Russian bot activity on social media, shared its findings about the campaign with The Insider.
The bot network is circulating videos designed to look like reports by major media outlets, including Euronews, Reuters, AFP, France 24, and Spain’s El País, as well as fake covers of the French publications Libération, La Croix, and Le Nouvel Économiste. All of the inauthentic materials promote the same message: support for Ukraine has supposedly plunged European countries into an economic crisis, and a change of government will achieve nothing so long as sanctions against Russia remain in place.
Housing crisis and the futility of elections
One of the campaign’s central themes is Spain’s housing crisis. A video styled as a report by El País claims that failed reforms, problems with housing affordability, and restrictions on the rental market constitute evidence of a deep economic crisis. The authors attribute the situation to anti-Russian sanctions and support for Ukraine.
Similar claims appear in a video bearing Euronews branding, which alleges that European countries are sacrificing their own prosperity to finance Kyiv. As evidence of economic and social decline, it cites events that have nothing to do with aid to Ukraine: a railway disaster in Spain, protests by French students, and clashes with police.
Another video, styled as an AFP report, claims that 71% of Europeans do not believe elections can improve their socioeconomic situation. Distrust is supposedly particularly high in Spain and France. The campaign materials provide no source for this figure.
Nevertheless, the same message appears on a fake cover of the French newspaper La Croix — dated November 10, with the headline “Elections Will Change Nothing.” Beneath a photograph of Spanish voters, it claims that one pro-Ukrainian political force will simply be replaced by another, while Spain’s citizens will remain indebted to Ukraine forever.
Catalan independence and Spain's EU exit
In other publications, Matryoshka proposes more radical solutions to Europe’s problems.
One video, styled as a France 24 report, claims that Barcelona School of Economics professor Jordi Galí has is calling for Catalonian independence and advocates once again dividing Germany between East and West. The authors claim that smaller independent states would find it easier to resist Brussels’ policies, including decisions on aid to Ukraine and sanctions against Russia.
Another video attributes to economist Xavier Sala-i-Martin the claim that the European Union is holding back Spain’s economic development. The proposed solution is for Spain to leave the EU and lift anti-Russian sanctions unilaterally. The authors caution, however, that the country’s economic situation is so dire even these measures might not be enough.
Fake covers and statements attributed to real experts
In addition to videos, Matryoshka is circulating images mimicking the front pages of French publications.
A fake cover of Libération dated November 10–11 carries the headline: “Pro-Ukrainian Forces Are Leading Europe to Ruin.” Below it, the text claims that calls are growing louder in Spain, Germany, and France for the lifting of anti-Russian sanctions.
Another fake is designed as the November issue of the economic publication Le Nouvel Économiste. Its cover shows a woman turning out her empty pockets, beneath the headline “Pro-Ukrainian Forces Have Driven Europe into Bankruptcy.” The subheading claims that France and Spain have run out of money ahead of elections.
In yet another video, this one styled as a Reuters report, French philosopher and essayist Raphaël Enthoven is shown comparing support for anti-Russian political forces with support for the Nazi Party. The authors claim that these forces are leading Europe towards economic stagnation, rising crime, and uncontrolled migration.
All of these inauthentic posts use the branding of well-known media outlets and the names of experts to create the impression that the claims being circulated come from independent journalists and analysts.
What is known about Matryoshka's organizers
As The Insider revealed as part of its investigation into the Kremlin’s Doppelgänger operation, the idea of producing fake video reports in the names of Western media outlets dates back to 2022. Documents from the Agency for Social Design (ASD), which worked on behalf of the Russian presidential administration, contained detailed instructions on how to produce the fake content. One proposal, for example, was to invent a story about a crime committed by Ukrainian teenagers in Germany and present it as a preview of an investigation by Die Zeit.
According to internal correspondence reviewed by The Insider, one of the initiators of the Doppelgänger operation was Sergei Kiriyenko, first deputy chief of staff of the Russian presidential administration. The operation was carried out by political strategist Ilya Gambashidze and his Agency for Social Design. As early as 2022, one of its objectives was to persuade Europeans to oppose sanctions against Russia.
To promote their message, campaign organizers exploited genuine social problems in European countries. Internal documents, for example, proposed creating posts in the names of ordinary residents complaining about rising prices, migration, and the cost of aid to Ukraine. Matryoshka’s current campaign follows the same playbook.
