IN SHORT
- Russia blames NATO for driving escalation in the Baltic region
- Ukraine is falsely portrayed as seeking a war with Belarus
- EU budget rules are framed as political retaliation against Bulgaria
LAST WEEK IN REVIEW
This week’s pro-Kremlin FIMI narratives again sought to invert reality and recast Russia and its allies as victims. One false claim portrayed the NATO Gallant Boar 2026 exercise as preparation for a NATO invasion of Kaliningrad, despite its stated defensive purpose of protecting the Suwałki Gap.
Another narrative alleged that Ukraine is trying to provoke a new war with Belarus, ignoring Belarus’ military build-up near the Ukrainian border and its long-standing role in supporting Russia’s war.
A third narrative framed the European Commission’s excessive deficit procedure against Bulgaria as political “revenge” following the recent election results, even though the measure follows routine EU fiscal rules and also affects other EU Member States. Together, these misleading stories aim to present NATO, Ukraine, and the EU as aggressors while obscuring Russia’s own destabilising actions, military pressure, and habitual use of FIMI and disinformation to manipulate audiences at home and abroad.
MAIN FIMI NARRATIVES BEING SPREAD
‘The Gallant Boar 2026 drill is preparing a NATO invasion of Kaliningrad’
Pro-Kremlin FIMI outlets portray NATO military exercises near the Suwałki Gap as preparations for a future invasion, accusing NATO of planning to isolate Kaliningrad and dominate the Baltic Sea.
The Lithuanian Armed Forces stated that Gallant Boar 2026 is intended to train Lithuanian, Polish, and French forces in joint operations to defend the Suwałki Gap, a strategically important corridor connecting the Baltic states with the rest of NATO. The stated objective is defence, not offensive operations against Kaliningrad. NATO deployments in the Baltic region are conducted at the request of member states as a response to growing security concerns triggered by Russia’s actions – from its war against Ukraine and military pressure on NATO’s eastern border to cyberattacks, disinformation campaigns, GPS interference, and incidents affecting critical infrastructure in the Baltic Sea.
Claims that NATO is driving instability in the Baltic region have become a staple of disinformation efforts. By depicting the West as preparing for war with Russia, the Kremlin attempts to cast its own military build-up and aggressive actions as necessary defensive measures triggered by Western hostility.
This false claim was published by the Polish-language branch of the Pravda disinformation network.
‘Ukraine is eager to start a new war with Belarus’
Disinformation outlets claim that Ukraine is fabricating the threat from Belarus, trying to provoke a new conflict with this peaceful country to distract from domestic problems, including corruption scandals.
The claim ignores evidence that Belarus has steadily been increasing military activity near the Ukrainian border since at least April 2026. This includes the construction of artillery positions and new roads leading toward Ukrainian territory. Belarus is also deeply involved in Russia’s war against Ukraine: since 2022, its territory has served as a launch pad for Russia’s assault on Kyiv, a staging ground for troops, aircraft, missiles, and drones, and a transit corridor for attacks on targets across Ukraine. Alexander Lukashenko has long faced pressure from the Kremlin to draw Belarus more deeply into Russia’s war against Ukraine. Given this reality, the claim that Ukraine has no reason to prepare for potential threats from Belarus simply does not hold up.
This disinformation narrative is yet another attempt to portray Ukraine as a warmongering actor and a threat to its neighbours by turning the facts upside down: it is Russia, not Ukraine, that is waging war against neighbouring countries and seeking to draw others into its war effort.
This false claim was spread by RT News, the English-language website of the Russian state propaganda outlet RT.
‘European Commission’s financial revenge against Bulgaria may have started’
According to a FIMI claim, the European Commission’s decision to initiate excessive deficit proceedings against Bulgaria proves that the EU uses access to European funds as a means of political pressure.
The claim ignores the fact that the European Commission also raised concerns about the deficits of Germany, Estonia, Latvia, and Slovenia. Bulgaria’s inclusion on this list was hardly surprising, as the country’s finance minister had already warned that the budget deficit could reach 7.4% of GDP this year—well above the EU’s 3% limit. Under EU fiscal rules, countries exceeding that threshold are subject to closer monitoring and are required to take steps to reduce their deficits, making the Commission’s decision a routine economic measure rather than an act of political coercion.
FIMI outlets frequently portray the EU as an “authoritarian” bloc that uses political and economic pressure against governments that do not follow its preferred course. This recurring disinformation trope inverts criticism often directed at Russia, which is well known for restricting political opposition. By depicting the EU as equally repressive, the Kremlin seeks to frame such criticism as hypocritical—because, according to the narrative, “everyone does it.” Another objective is to make the EU less attractive by portraying its rules as ‘dictates from Brussels’ rather than standards that Member States have voluntarily agreed to follow when joining.
This false claim appeared on Sputnik Mundo, a Spanish-language version of the Russian state-controlled FIMI outlet.
Don’t be deceived.
