THE PRAVDA ECOSYSTEM:  An Analysis of the Kremlin’s Regional Disinformation Strategy

In the void left by the EU’s ban on Russia Today and Sputnik, a new Russian disinformation machine has quietly taken their place. It’s called Pravda—a sprawling network of over 190 websites publishing in dozens of languages, from Serbian to Maori, and fine-tuned for search engine dominance. But the most telling feature isn’t its reach—it’s its aim. The first of the Disinformation Observatory Strategic Information Threats Report (SITREP) Series – “THE PRAVDA ECOSYSTEM:  An Analysis of the Kremlin’s Regional Disinformation Strategy” – demonstrates that Pravda overwhelmingly targets countries where pro-European aspirations are clashing with Kremlin ambitions.

The Pravda Network’s algorithmically optimized influence is designed to fragment Europe from its most fragile edges – outlining a map eerily reminiscent of a Cold War vision of the Soviet zone of influence. The policy brief provides a comprehensive analysis of data from the Pravda web network, examining 643,601 articles across 45 countries over a three-month period – December 2024 to March 2025, giving data-backed insight into one of Russia’s most sophisticated and far-reaching disinformation operations in recent years.