Europe Facing the Russian Information Offensive : A Hybrid War of Industrial Proportions
One hundred forty-one sites in France. Millions of articles generated by artificial intelligence. Fifty-five million views in just a few months. Behind these staggering numbers lies a chilling reality: Europe is the target of an unprecedented information offensive conducted by Russia and China. These authoritarian powers have industrialized disinformation, transforming lies into a weapon of hybrid warfare. Their fake local media perfectly mimic our community newspapers, infiltrate our artificial intelligence databases, and contaminate democratic space with formidable efficiency.

Faced with this systemic threat, Europe has sophisticated detection tools – Viginum in France, EUvsDisinfo in Brussels – but struggles to punish the culprits.

An urgent question arises: how far can our democracies tolerate this aggression without betraying their own values? Between necessary vigilance and the risk of security paranoia, the balance is fragile. The outcome of this information battle may well determine the very future of our freedom.