According to the report, the Matryoshka network has carried out a coordinated disinformation campaign on social media, promoting linked narratives tied to Hungary and issues central to its public debate.
The aim of the bots, the investigators said, is to create confusion and manipulate public opinion by flooding the information space with misleading or entirely fabricated claims.
One false story said a Ukrainian refugee had been arrested in France after trying to throw a grenade onto the grounds of the Hungarian embassy in Paris. Investigators said the report was completely fictitious.
Another fabricated item claimed there had been more than 1,000 attacks by Ukrainian refugees on Hungarian citizens in several European countries. A video carrying the logos of Euronews and Human Rights Watch presented the story as credible, although no such investigation was ever conducted, according to the Polish Press Agency (PAP).
Other manipulated videos falsely suggested that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had insulted Hungarians or that his alleged threats toward Hungary had damaged his reputation among European leaders. Some of the videos attributed invented quotes to analysts or journalists.
Prime Minister Viktor Orban has based much of his campaign on opposition to European Union support for Kyiv, which Budapest says prolongs the war and undermines peace efforts, including those by U.S. President Donald Trump.
The Hungarian government has also accused Ukraine of trying to influence the country’s internal politics and of backing what it describes as a pro-Ukrainian opposition.
(jh)
Source: PAP