The Role of Russian Disinformation in the 2024 European Parliament Elections and its Impact of EU Perceptions on Ukraine

Executive Summary  

The 2024 European Parliament (EP) elections saw a significant rise in far-right and Eurosceptic parties and members, with groups such as the Patriots for Europe (PFE) and the Europe of Sovereign Nations Group (ESN) gaining considerable influence. Russian disinformation “Doppelganger” campaigns may have contributed to influencing voter preferences by amplifying anti-EU and anti-Ukrainian support narratives in the lead-up to the election. This increase seen in the political representation of pro-Russian members within the EP raises concerns about the EU’s continued support for Ukraine, especially as the EP experiences a broader rightward shift among its members and parties. While internal divisions between members and parties prevent those on the radical right from forming a single parliamentary group, their collective size, as well as their continued representative growth within the EP, showcases a rightward shift. Not only this, but an increase in foreign interference threatens not only electoral outcomes, but also the integrity of democratic institutions within the EU. This memo outlines the impact of Russian Doppelganger disinformation campaigns during the 2024 EP election in order to examine this shift of European Parliamentary power and foreign electoral interference and provide policy recommendations to counter foreign information manipulation and interference during elections.