Russiaupdated 1h ago2 min read
Russian Disinformation Network Matrioshka Amplifies French Riots, Alto Intelligence Tracks Belfast Surge
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Alto Intelligence recorded a 69% rise in Belfast riot conversations by Russian-linked accounts. Russian networks amplify disturbances in Europe and the sense of chaos around French riots.
Networks amplify chaos
Alto Intelligence recorded a 69% increase in conversations by Russian-linked social media accounts commenting on anti-immigrant riots in Belfast in the days leading up to clashes that erupted on June 8, and the violence led Northern Ireland authorities to close Belfast to the outside world. Alto Intelligence said conversations dropped by almost two-thirds on June 9, then surged again by 66% on October 10 and 11, when trains and buses connecting Belfast to the rest of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland were canceled.
Matrioshka, a Russian disinformation network described as well identified and sanctioned in the account of El Mundo, falsified images from Western media with news that had “absolutely nothing to do with the events,” including claims about a supposed Muslim attack on Pope Leo XIV and the death of 54 French teachers during the riots. NewsGuard reported that Matrioshka and other Russian networks created total or partial reproductions of 163 media outlets from around the world, with eight of the fifteen most used being French.
Disinformation commission findings
The Disinformation Commission assessed that Russian-linked networks, Iranian government officials, and far-right social media influencers used the unrest to spread false information to millions of people across Europe and beyond, while warning that Russian propaganda appeared among sources retrieved by artificial intelligence search engines.
The report concluded: “The unrest in France is a home-grown protest movement. We found no evidence that a foreign state started it or directs it.”
The Disinformation Commission added: “Russia and Iran are exploiting it openly, but the widest distortion came from far-right influencers in France and abroad, who passed off old videos as the riots to paint a migrant ‘civil war’.”
The Disinformation Commission said Matryoshka produced around 20 fabricated news reports in just two days, impersonating Agence France-Presse, Deutsche Welle and Le Monde, and it listed claims that 54 French teachers had been killed and that the Pope had abandoned a visit following attacks by Muslim pupils.
Kremlin dismisses meddling
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Europe was facing a “major crisis,” saying it was “clear that it’s a major crisis” and that the disturbances were “already bordering on chaos.”
Peskov dismissed accusations of Russian involvement, saying: “No one anywhere takes such absurd accusations seriously anymore. Not even in Europe itself.”
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova lambasted Europe’s “double standard” and asked where “human rights” and “freedom of expression” figured in the equation after quoting Macron’s pledge to be “unyielding” with rioters who resorted to violence.
Kirill Dmitriev called the unrest “The Suicidal Fall of Europe” and blamed it on Europe’s migration policies, while Senator Alexei Pushkov wrote on Telegram: “There’s a civil war in France.”