Russia spreads around 250,000 fake stories about Ukraine’s EU accession in 16 months, EU Ambassador to Ukraine says

Katarina Mathernová, Ambassador of the European Union to Ukraine, said this at the conference “The Right to Truth: New European Regulations and Multidimensional Threats During the War,” according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

The diplomat noted that Russia is investing significant resources and engaging many talented people to produce fake news and create the “appearance of truth where, by its very nature, there is none.”

According to Mathernová, a recent analysis conducted by the European External Action Service (EEAS) and Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation identified around 250,000 publications containing false information about Ukraine’s accession to the EU over just 16 months. In total, they garnered nearly 1.4 billion views.

The EU Ambassador noted that the focus of Russian disinformation on Ukraine’s EU accession is not accidental, as European integration is about more than simply bringing legislation into line with EU rules.

“It is about putting European values into practice: freedom of speech, media freedom, free access to information, transparent and strong institutions, as well as safeguards that allow journalists to do their work independently. And there is good news here: even during the war, Ukraine has made progress, including in the World Press Freedom Index. In just one year – from 2025 to 2026 – it rose seven places, from 62nd to 55th among 180 countries,” Mathernová said.

She added that these were “not simply figures or rankings.”

“They concern the very essence of the democratic project, in which citizens have access to information, journalists can ask uncomfortable, difficult and sometimes irritating questions, and independent media can hold those in power accountable. And, as we know, this matters both in peacetime and during war,” the EU Ambassador noted.

As reported by Ukrinform, OpenAI blocked a group of Russia-linked ChatGPT accounts which, according to the company, were used to support an online disinformation campaign.