Behind the Curtain: Unveiling Pro-Kremlin Ecosystems in Europe

ISD's January 2025 investigation maps the architecture of pro-Kremlin influence ecosystems across European countries — the networks of websites, social media accounts, and amplification infrastructure that function as the distribution layer for Russian state narratives. The investigation documents how these ecosystems exploit platform algorithmic amplification and circumvent content moderation through coordinated cross-platform activity, providing the most comprehensive publicly available map of Russian narrative distribution infrastructure in Europe.

The ecosystem framing is analytically important. Most public attention focuses on specific operations or specific pieces of content; this investigation reveals the underlying infrastructure — the websites, accounts, and amplification networks — that makes those operations possible. Understanding the infrastructure layer is essential for durable counter-FIMI strategy: debunking specific claims is insufficient if the distribution infrastructure remains intact. For practitioners conducting threat assessment of Russian information operations in European national contexts, this report provides the essential infrastructure baseline across France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Poland, and beyond.