This event will bring together academics, journalists, government representatives, and disinformation specialists to address the growing threat posed by disinformation campaigns driven by Russia, with a particular focus on their impact in Spain and across Europe. The event will take place at Espacio Loop21, Calle de Alcalá 21, Generali Building, 8th floor, Madrid, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. This event is made possible thanks to the support of the embassies of Germany, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands in Spain, the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), and with the collaboration of Prodigioso Volcán.
On the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the event will analyze the FIMI (Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference) techniques used by the Kremlin as part of its foreign interference strategy across different domains. One of the key focuses of the event will be examining how disinformative narratives have intensified in recent years simultaneously across different countries, using tactics ranging from the cloning of Western media outlets to the creation of networks of websites in multiple languages aimed at spreading and amplifying disinformation.
The discussion will address how this disinformation strategy directly affects Europe as a whole and Spain in particular. To analyze the European context, participants will include Peter Ptassek, Director of Strategic Communications at the German Federal Foreign Office; Ingram Davidson, Second Political Secretary at the British Embassy in Moscow / OSCE delegation; and Marina Rodríguez, Head of the Cybersecurity and Counter-Disinformation Unit at Spain’s National Security Department. Focusing on Spain, experts such as Félix Arteaga, researcher at the Elcano Royal Institute; Marina Alonso Villota, researcher at the Bundeswehr University of Munich; and Xavier Colás, El Mundo correspondent for Russia and Ukraine, will take part.
The event will also address the role of fact-checkers, who are essential in detecting and countering these manipulation efforts. Participants will include Yevhen Fedchenko from StopFake (Ukraine), Elena Calistru from Funky Citizens (Romania), and Salome Giunashvili from Media Development Foundation (Georgia). Together, they will discuss how Russian disinformation strategies have affected their countries and how fact-checkers from different regions have worked to expose false narratives and debunk imposed disinformation.
The event is free of charge but has limited capacity. Interested participants can register via the following form: https://bit.ly/FromRussiaHoax
