Cyprus said it has fallen victim to a malicious disinformation attack that paints the country’s leadership as corrupt, accusing it of bearing “all the hallmarks” of previous Russian campaigns targeting France, Germany and the United States.
The allegation centers on an 8½-minute video posted on social media Thursday that, Cyprus said, weaves together snippets of three political figures in a way meant to suggest influence peddling. The video links the figures’ relationship to President Nikos Christodoulides, campaign financing and efforts to secure foreign investments.
Cyprus said the video also includes a claim that Christodoulides exceeded a 1 million euro campaign funding cap by taking “off-the-books” cash donations for his 2023 presidential run. The most serious allegation in the video, the report said, is that the Cypriot government would work to block EU sanctions against Russian oligarchs in exchange for corporate cash.
An initial analysis by Cyprus Security Services obtained by AP said the video shows “the characteristics of organized Russian disinformation campaigns” similar to a 2021 Russian online operation aimed at other EU countries, the U.S. and Israel. The analysis said the editing and narration do not provide “tangible evidence” supporting the corruption claims, describing such videos as “kompromat” — a Soviet tactic used in character assassination, blackmail or politically weakening opponents.
The same report said the analysis does not rule out the possibility that “another actor using a similar methodology” could be responsible for the video, and Russia did not immediately comment on the allegation.
With a parliamentary election in Cyprus four months away, the video triggered political calls for investigation and deepened a domestic furor. The leader of the communist-rooted AKEL party asked for the resignation of the director of the presidential office, one of the men who appears in the video.
Cyprus government spokesman Constantinos Letymbiotis condemned the video as a collection of “lies, deceptions and unfounded claims” meant to besmirch the government’s and the country’s image.
Government officials told AP that the video’s debut came one day after Cyprus marked its assumption of the rotating EU presidency, an event attended by Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Since Christodoulides’ 2023 election, officials said, he has moved Cyprus from what they described as a Kremlin-friendly posture onto a pro-Western path, including support for Ukraine in its war against Russia and closer diplomatic and military ties with the United States.
The Cyprus episode follows other allegations against Moscow involving disinformation efforts around elections and European policy. In September, Moldova’s President Maia Sandu alleged Moscow waged a “hybrid war” to undermine a parliamentary election and derail Moldova’s EU path, and Moscow denied involvement. Two years ago, AP said, French officials and cybersecurity experts in Europe and the U.S. issued reports pointing to disinformation campaigns orchestrated out of Russia and targeting France.