BRUSSELS, 25 July 2025 — For Kremlin-linked disinformation networks, few political figures offer as ripe a target as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. An analysis of a past no-confidence motion against her in the European Parliament has revealed aggressive tactics Moscow employs to polarize, discredit, and destabilize the European Union. Von der Leyen’s high profile serves as a lightning rod for these operations.
The no-confidence vote, spearheaded by Romanian Member of European Parliament (MEP) Cristian Terhes in March 2024, appeared a fringe initiative. It was decisively voted down 426-101 on March 13, 2024, as confirmed by the European Parliament. Experts, however, contend it was a textbook Kremlin operation, transforming a parliamentary procedure into a continent-wide political distortion campaign.
“It was a coordinated attempt to manufacture a mass movement out of nothing,” stated Amaury Lesplingart, co-founder of Check First, a Finnish digital forensics firm. His firm, along with Lithuanian watchdog Debunk, tracked how Russian-linked networks amplified the event. “The no-confidence vote was simply the vehicle—the real goal was to fracture European trust in its institutions,” Lesplingart concluded in their joint analysis released in June 2025.
Multi-Stage Drama Fuels Distrust
According to the Check First and Debunk analysis, disinformation surged well before the motion. Russian state-backed media fronts and Telegram channels, including the notorious Kremlin-linked Pravda Network (also known as Portal Kombat, exposed by French authorities in February 2024), systematically painted Von der Leyen as “toxic” and “corrupt.”
The centerpiece was “Pfizergate”—the unresolved controversy surrounding Von der Leyen’s private SMS messages with Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla during EU COVID-19 vaccine negotiations. Russian-aligned voices relentlessly latched on, portraying it as evidence of elite conspiracy. The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) launched an investigation into EU vaccine procurement in October 2022, though Von der Leyen was not named as a suspect, according to POLITICO.
Messaging peaked around the no-confidence motion. Pro-Russian outlets pushed over 21,000 posts across platforms, portraying the procedure as a populist uprising, the analysis found.
“It was never about transparency or genuine accountability,” an EU official briefed on intelligence findings stated. “It was about driving wedges—between East and West, conservatives and progressives, and between voters and their democratic institutions.”
Disinformation Without Fingerprints: The Kremlin Playbook
The campaign’s deniability is insidious. While analyses found no evidence Terhes acted on direct Kremlin orders, the supporting narrative infrastructure served Russian strategic aims. These information operations followed a familiar Kremlin playbook: opportunistically hijack a real political event, inject disinformation, and flood social media to distort, inflame, and demoralize.
National politics became part of the toolkit. The disinformation wave exploited Romania’s electoral dynamics, tying Terhes’ motion to far-right figures like Calin Georgescu and George Simion, both associated with pro-Russian stances. These figures were amplified by TikTok-driven campaigns and disinformation echoes, as detailed by CeMAS in January 2025.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, a frequent critic of Brussels, also shared content mirroring Kremlin messaging: portraying the EU as unstable and corrupt. This reflects broader concerns about economic inequality and populist movements across Europe, as seen in challenges like Hungary’s consumption drop under Fidesz.
Why Von der Leyen? A Strategic Adversary
To the Kremlin, Von der Leyen is a prime target. As a high-profile German, staunch Atlanticist, Ukraine champion, and symbolic face of EU integration, she directly counters Moscow’s objectives. Her consistent support for sanctions and cooperation with NATO make her an ideological adversary.
“She represents everything Moscow wants to undermine—centralized governance, European solidarity, and the transatlantic alliance,” commented Thomas Regnier, EU spokesperson for technological sovereignty. “Attacking her is not just personal; it’s strategic.” Von der Leyen directly called out the disinformation effort in Parliament, stating it was “another crude attempt to drive a wedge between our institutions,” as reported by EL PAÍS English.
Industrial-Scale Interference Demands Response
The campaign forms part of a broader pattern identified by the EU’s External Action Service (EEAS), which warns of “industrial-scale” manipulation by Russia and China. These actors target not only politicians but the architecture of democratic discourse, seeding mistrust and weakening faith in elections and governance. The EEAS’s 3rd Report on Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference Threats (March 2025) details these operations. Such actions are viewed as a critical component of modern global conflicts.
“Every vote, every procedural conflict, every debate is an opportunity for exploitation,” Lesplingart warned. “Our democratic processes are being weaponized against us.” This highlights cybersecurity challenges and the need for robust digital defenses, a critical component of European Defense strategy.
Brussels is considering expanded counter-disinformation tools, including greater oversight of Telegram and TikTok channels and more aggressive use of the EU’s Anti-Coercion Instrument (ACI). The ACI, designed to counter economic coercion, could potentially apply to states sponsoring information warfare with significant economic impact, though its primary use remains in trade disputes, as seen in the EU’s recent €100 billion tariff threat against the U.S..
Still, experts emphasize that resilience depends on public awareness. “Disinformation only works when it meets fertile ground,” Regnier concluded. “The more we understand how these operations work, the harder it becomes for them to succeed.” The fight against misinformation, including AI deepfakes and sexual violence against youth, underscores the urgency of fostering a resilient digital citizenry across Europe.