The second meeting of the Bulgaria Working Group brought together experts from civil society, academia, journalism, and government to continue examining Bulgaria’s evolving disinformation landscape. This session delved deeper into the identification of disinformation narratives and the strategies behind their dissemination.

Key Themes Discussed:

• Disinformation continues to thrive through foreign narratives, particularly from Russia, and is tailored for Bulgarian audiences to exploit local fears and concerns.
• Key disinformation topics include Russian propaganda in schools, economic disinformation (e.g., misleading information on NATO and EU), and attacks on democratic institutions.
• High-risk groups targeted include students, rural communities, and economically disadvantaged individuals, with a focus on youth through education.
• Key platforms for disinformation include Telegram, YouTube, and Facebook, with a rise in offline vectors, such as educational institutions.
• Notable narratives: NATO alarmism, disinformation about the F-16 aircraft, economic instability, and Russian propaganda in Bulgarian schools.

Next Steps:

• Refine the tracking of cross-platform disinformation narratives.
• Deepen collaboration with educational institutions to combat the spread of false narratives.
• Continue the development of narrative classification methods in the CIDC-Sensika Disinformation Observatory.

Disclaimer: This report summarizes observations, illustrative examples, and preliminary perspectives shared by participants during the meeting. These reflections are provided to inform further analysis and dialogue, rather than to present definitive findings. The content represents working assumptions and subjective interpretations, which have not been independently validated or supported by empirical data. Accordingly, any conclusions drawn should be regarded as provisional and interpreted with caution.