From Lithuania to Mexican Cartels: how Russia tailors lies to each country

The automatic translation feature on „Grok,“ implemented on the X platform, contributed greatly to the expansion and reach of false narratives across various regions, allowing disinformation to cross language barriers rapidly.

These trends are revealed in the disinformation monitoring report for the second quarter of 2026, conducted as part of the ATAFIMI project, which aims to identify and analyze information manipulation incidents of Russian origin across different countries and linguistic environments.

NGOs and fact-checkers from ten countries in Europe and Latin America – including Lithuania, Ukraine, Spain, Georgia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Argentina, Colombia, Mexico, and Venezuela – are collaborating on the project. Collected data shows that disinformation not only spreads across borders, but is also flexibly adapted to the local political and social context of each country.

The report highlights several main international narratives aimed at distorting reality in the context of geopolitical events. Russia’s role in the conflict involving Iran, the US, and Israel was portrayed through fabricated reports on the deployment of weapons and troops, while reports of a hantavirus outbreak were weaponized to demoralize the Ukrainian military.

Furthermore, the LGBTQ+ community was systematically targeted to reinforce conservative, Kremlin-friendly narratives. Deepfakes and out-of-context video footage were also used to portray Ukrainian leaders as corrupt and losing international support.

Specific tactics for adapting disinformation were observed across different regions. In European countries such as Lithuania, fearmongering focused on the alleged loss of sovereignty and staged provocations against Russia, while in Serbia and Bosnia, efforts sought to undermine trust in European Union support and international institutions.

In Latin America, disinformation was tailored to local issues – for instance, statements were circulated in Mexico alleging Ukrainian cooperation with drug cartels. These trends demonstrate that information attacks are becoming increasingly targeted and tech-driven.

Full report is accessible clicking here.