CIR: Strong influence of pro-Russian bot networks on Croatian presidential elections

The London-based Center for Information Resilience (CIR), an independent organization dedicated to exposing threats to democracy and human rights violations, has published a report stating that it has observed a strong influence of pro-Russian bot networks on the presidential elections in Croatia.

The behavior of accounts on social networks such as X, Facebook, Reddit, TikTok and other social networks over the past month was investigated. The key terms were Zoran Milanović and Dragan Primorac, and the goal was to expose a network of pro-Russian, anti-EU and anti-NATO bots.

It is stated that pro-Russian networks operated in two waves after Milanović's victory in the first round and after his statements against potential Croatian interference in the Ukrainian war.

These networks systematically praise the current president Milanović and promote content that supports his views. At the same time, they spread messages against the European Union and NATO, targeting Milanović's opponent, Dragan Primorac.

According to the report, the accounts often use AI-generated profile pictures, pro-Russian slogans, and have unusual posting patterns.

Milanović is described as an outspoken critic of Western military support for Ukraine, and recalls that he previously said that Croatia should not take sides and should stay out of global disputes, despite being a member of NATO and the EU.

Pro-Russian accounts with bot characteristics spread Milanović's content in multiple languages, including Croatian, Serbian, Italian, English, Spanish and French, CIR states, among other things.

Obuljen Koržinek: Croatia would not be the first country with Russian influence on elections

Minister of Culture and Media Nina Obuljen Koržinek stated on Thursday that Croatia would not be the first country in Europe to witness a Russian attempt to influence the outcome of the elections, and mentioned blocking access to sources that spread disinformation as one of the options.

“Experts in cybersecurity and disinformation should check the content of this data. If this data is accurate, and from what is written it seems credible, then this is a reason for enormous concern for all of us. Croatia would not be the first country in Europe to witness Russian influence on elections,” the minister said in a statement to reporters after a government session.

Obuljen Koržinek was commenting on a report by the Center for Information Resilience (CIR), which reports on the strong influence of pro-Russian bots on the presidential elections in Croatia.

“These bots,” the CIR says, citing its unnamed researchers who conducted the research in Croatia “were particularly active after the victory of current President Zoran Milanović in the first round of the election, promoting him as an ideal candidate, because he is an outspoken critic of Western military support for Ukraine.”

“We saw the most blatant example in Romania. I think that any such information should be treated with extreme care and caution. The issue of preserving our democracies is the responsibility of all of us who participate in political processes, as well as the media,” said the minister.

Regarding the recent decision of the Meta platform (Facebook, Instagram) to terminate cooperation with fact checkers, Obuljen Koržinek said that this does not mean that their work is being suspended.

The European Union is the first in the world to systematically address the issue of media literacy and strengthening the resilience of our citizens to disinformation. "Fact-checking systems are a key tool for strengthening trust in the media, as opposed to the uncritical dissemination of fake news and disinformation, which spreads four times faster than verified news," the minister said.

Link to full report here.

Source: HRT