Viginum, the French agency responsible for monitoring foreign digital interference, has identified this campaign as a significant threat to public discourse in France and across Europe.

According to diplomatic sources, the Kremlin's information warfare strategy includes attempts to influence major events, such as the upcoming French legislative elections in 2024.

The campaign's mechanics involve the initial spread of disinformation through disposable social media accounts and paid influencers, particularly from the American far-right, with state media amplifying these messages.

France has condemned a sophisticated Russian disinformation campaign known as 'Storm-1516', which targets Ukraine and its Western allies, particularly the French government.

The Storm-1516 campaign employs AI-generated content, videos, and amateur actors, achieving considerable visibility on social media platforms, with some narratives reaching millions of views.

Storm-1516 utilizes artificial intelligence to create realistic profiles and misleading narratives featuring identifiable individuals, posing a serious threat to digital public discourse across Europe.

Recent activities attributed to Storm-1516 include attempts to disrupt elections in the United States and Germany, with Microsoft and the German government documenting these interference efforts.

Specific false narratives propagated by the campaign include debunked claims about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky purchasing a former Nazi building and a luxury hotel.

The campaign also employs content 'cleaning' tactics, utilizing African media to obscure the origins of misleading information, primarily aimed at undermining the Ukrainian government and disrupting Western aid.

Storm-1516 is linked to broader Russian information manipulation efforts, including connections to the Lakhta Project associated with the late Yevgeny Prigozhin and the Wagner Group.

The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs has criticized Storm-1516 for its destabilizing activities, asserting that such actions are unworthy of a permanent member of the UN Security Council, while reaffirming France's support for Ukraine.

Jean-Noël Barrot, the French Minister for Foreign Affairs, has emphasized the need for vigilance against foreign digital interference, highlighting the adaptability and effectiveness of the Storm-1516 operation in spreading anti-Ukrainian and anti-Western narratives.