Surge in Disinformation Targeting EU, Ukraine, and Climate Change Dominates August 2025 Landscape
The European Digital Media Observatory (EDMO) has released its monthly brief for August 2025, revealing a concerning surge in disinformation targeting the European Union, the war in Ukraine, and climate change. The report, compiled from data gathered by 31 fact-checking organizations across Europe, analyzed 1,441 fact-checking articles published throughout the month. A significant 9% of these articles focused on climate change disinformation, highlighting the growing prevalence of manipulative narratives exploiting environmental anxieties. Disinformation related to the war in Ukraine (7%) and the EU (6%) also saw an uptick, alongside a continued focus on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict (5%). While disinformation related to immigration and LGBTQ+ issues decreased compared to the previous month, the overall landscape remains saturated with misleading and fabricated information.
The most viral disinformation instance in August involved an AI-generated image depicting European leaders waiting subserviently for a meeting with former US President Donald Trump. This image, amplified by discussions surrounding a hypothetical Trump-Putin summit and subsequent meetings with European leaders, fed into narratives aimed at belittling the EU and portraying its members as warmongers. This incident underscores the increasing sophistication of disinformation tactics and the potential for AI-generated content to manipulate public perception. Further contributing to this trend were fabricated videos, including one depicting the Romanian Prime Minister announcing Romania’s entry into the war in Ukraine and another falsely showing Moldovan troops fighting on a foreign front. These instances served to bolster pro-Russian disinformation efforts to paint Europe as militarized and aggressive, exemplified by false stories about captured British officers in Ukraine.
Beyond the fabricated narratives surrounding international relations, disinformation also targeted internal European affairs. Despite the implementation of US-EU tariffs, this topic remained largely absent from disinformation campaigns. However, well-worn narratives demonizing the EU as a digital dictatorship, a hotbed of LGBTQ+ indoctrination, and a bureaucratic behemoth continued to circulate. These narratives, often playing on pre-existing anxieties and prejudices, further contribute to a climate of distrust and polarization.
The disinformation campaign surrounding the war in Ukraine extended beyond portraying Europe as an aggressor. False narratives exaggerated the supposed rapprochement between the US and Russia, as evidenced by a fake video showing American fighter jets honoring Putin in Alaska. Simultaneously, disinformation aimed to sow discord between Ukraine and its allies through fabricated stories, including claims of Ukraine misusing Estonian airspace, Zelensky selling Odessa to Italy, and even a manipulated video suggesting a Western conspiracy against the Ukrainian president. These efforts seek to undermine international support for Ukraine and create a narrative of internal division and instability.
Furthermore, the report highlights the persistent efforts to misrepresent the situation within Ukraine itself. A fabricated survey claimed that over 80% of Ukrainians favored ending the war, even with territorial concessions, while another false claim alleged that 400,000 Ukrainian soldiers had deserted. These narratives aim to erode public confidence in Ukraine’s resilience and create a false impression of widespread war-weariness.
The rise in global temperatures has been mirrored by a parallel increase in climate-related disinformation. A notable feature of this trend is the injection of political narratives into discussions about extreme weather events. Pro-Russian disinformation, for instance, falsely blamed Ukraine for heavy rain in Lithuania, while other narratives portrayed Russia as a benevolent force offering aid to Greece and Portugal during wildfires. These attempts to politicize natural disasters exploit public anxieties and further polarize public discourse. Moreover, well-established conspiracy theories surrounding wildfires, including claims about directed energy weapons and land rezoning plots, continued to spread, particularly in Mediterranean countries. Disinformation actors also targeted government measures to address climate change, with fabricated stories about CO2 passports restricting travel in the UK and climate lockdowns in Belgium.
The use of AI-generated content in disinformation remained a significant concern, accounting for 10% of the analyzed fact-checking articles. This highlights the growing sophistication and accessibility of tools for creating deceptive content. Instances of AI-generated disinformation included misattributed images from Gaza, mischaracterized historical photos by AI chatbots, a doctored video of a Pride march in London, and fabricated images targeting Ukrainian activism. These instances demonstrate the potential for AI-generated content to distort reality and manipulate public opinion across a wide range of topics.
The findings of the EDMO report underscore the continued challenge posed by disinformation in the digital age. The increasing sophistication of disinformation tactics, including the use of AI-generated content, requires robust fact-checking efforts and media literacy initiatives. The targeting of critical issues like climate change, the war in Ukraine, and the EU’s integrity necessitates a concerted effort to combat these manipulative narratives and safeguard public discourse. The report serves as a stark reminder of the urgent need for collective action to address the pervasive threat of disinformation and its potential to undermine democratic processes and societal cohesion.
