All propaganda?

Bedbug alarm: France sees Kremlin behind it

Panic about bedbugs is particularly high in view of the Olympic Games in Paris - but the problem doesn't seem to be that big.

(Bild: stock.adobe.com)

There were reports that alarmed the tourism industry in France in particular - last summer, a veritable plague of bedbugs is said to have swept across the country. The French government has now investigated this and found a lead to propaganda from the Kremlin. 

According to various reports, the alleged invaders are said to have settled mainly in Paris: in hotels, cinemas and subways. The "FAZ", for example, ran the headline: "They are everywhere" and offered its readers tips on how to protect themselves from the insects.

Therecan be no talk of a plague
The damage to French tourism was correspondingly great. So great, in fact, that the government in Paris has now taken up the issue - although it has been shown that cases have risen moderately since 2021 (i.e. with the return of tourism after the coronavirus restrictions), there can be no talk of a plague.

Putin's propaganda henchmen are extremely active on the internet - which also poses a threat to the Western world.

(Bild: Adobe Stock (KI), Krone Kreativ)

On the contrary, the incidents have been "very much artificially amplified", explained Jean-Noël Barrot, Secretary of State for European Affairs, to La Tribune. It seems clear to the government that a supposedly major problem has probably been exaggerated by propaganda from Russia.

Two fake messages per second
The research would have shown that images and videos of individual bedbugs were repeatedly shared, especially from certain fake accounts from Russia. "There were even attempts to spread a false link between bedbug cases and the arrival of Ukrainian refugees," continued Barrot. The panic surrounding the bedbugs is just the tip of the iceberg. Europe is currently facing a veritable hail of Russian fake news.

As reported by Bild, for example, the German Foreign Office counted up to 200,000 short messages per day last year alone, which were spread on popular social media by so-called bots - i.e. automated fake accounts. That equates to around two messages per second.

Putin endangers Europe's stability and security
This is one of the reasons why the Élysée Palace sees Putin as a clear threat to Europe's stability and security, which is likely to extend far beyond Ukraine. According to French government circles, the Kremlin is currently doing everything it can to stir up fears of a terrorist attack at the Olympic Games this summer.