Russian disinformation and Deepfakes against Federal Chancellor Merz

The Bundesverfassungsschutz warned ahead of the state elections in September 2026 of a targeted disinformation campaign against Chancellor Merz ¹. An analysis by the Council on Foreign Relations from August 2026 describes the far-right AfD and a Russian hybrid campaign as a dual threat to the Merz government ⁹.

An overview from Correctiv published in November 2025 documents fabrications from the first six months of the chancellorship ². The examined cases included the following.

• A deepfake video showed Merz advertising an alleged state investment platform. Correctiv classified the material as part of a fraud scheme ⁴.

• A completely fabricated Tagesschau article described an alleged Maischberger conversation between Merz and AfD politician Tino Chrupalla ⁵.

• A video featuring Alexander Dobrindt, taken out of context, suggested a vote of confidence against Merz. In the original clip Dobrindt was referring to the vote of confidence from Olaf Scholz in December 2024 ⁶.

• A claim spread in May 2025 that Emmanuel Macron, Friedrich Merz and Keir Starmer consumed cocaine on a special train to Kyiv. Fact-checks determined that the purported drugs were actually a tissue and a drink stirrer ¹².

Frankfurter Rundschau reported as early as February 2025 that Merz would become the target of Russian disinformation and that the AfD would benefit from this ¹¹. The DFRLab describes in an analysis from March 2026 the Pravda network as a pro-Russian disinformation ecosystem that deliberately targets Western politicians including Merz with false content ¹⁰.

Friedrich Merz has been German Chancellor since May 2025 at the head of a coalition with the SPD ²+29 Council on Foreign Relations11 Frankfurter Rundschau. The available reports paint a consistent picture. Forgeries and out-of-context content are frequently distributed via social media. Foreign actors, in particular those close to Russia, are named by German authorities and international research institutions as the driving force, whilst established fact checkers refute the individual claims.