Russia’s domestic propaganda has been consistently shaping the image of the European Union as a disjointed, ineffective, and crisis-ridden community. For this purpose, the Kremlin-affiliated media have been peddling narratives about a “EU split”, “incompetent European leaders”, and the “immigration chaos”, a study by the Institute of Mass Information (IMI), carried out from 3 through 20 June 2026, found.
The EU became a key political, financial, and military partner of Ukraine following Russia’s full-scale invasion. In response to bloc’s the support for Kyiv and its policy of introducing sanctions against Russia, Russian state media strated focusing more on Europe’s issues, making them a key vector of attack in its information campaign targeting the domestic audience.
The IMI study showed that rather than criticising individual EU decisions, Russian propaganda has been persistently painting an image of the EU as a structure teetering on the verge of collapse due to internal rifts, political weakness, and ineffective governance.
The state-media have been paying particular attention to European politicians who have consistently supported Ukraine and advocated for more sanctions against Russia.
“It is especially telling that the Russian media have been focusing on two women, the European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, and the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, discrediting them not just through policy criticism, but also personal insults and gender-based stereotypes. Russian news have been referring to them as ‘idiots’, ‘morons’, and using other derogatory epithets, trying to undermine trust in women in leading positions,” writes IMI analyst Olena Holub.
Immigration has been another key talking point in Russia’s campaign. Kremlin-affiliated media have been framing it not as a complex humanitarian and social challenge but as proof of the European governments’ failure to keep their borders in check, guarantee their citizens’ safety, and ensure social stability.
IMI found the narratives about a “EU split”, smearing European leaders, and manipulative reporting about immigration to be components of the Kremlin’s information strategy. The objective of this strategy is to make the domestic audience see the European Union as a weak and crisis-ridden entity while justifying Russia’s foreign policy and undermining trust in Europe’s support for Ukraine.
The study sample included six Russian media: Radio Sputnik, Lenta.ru, Gazeta.ru, Rossiyskaya Gazeta, Moskovskiy Komsomolets, and Komsomolskaya Pravda.