DISINFO: Russia accused without evidence of spreading disinformation during Valencia’s floods
SUMMARY
Spain’s National Security accused Russia of orchestrating disinformation campaigns against the democratic stability of the country. The alleged and malicious interference is supposed to have taken place during the floods that hit Valencia severely in October 2024. In its yearly report, the institution warned that the Kremlin would have exploited the catastrophe to disinform “opportunistically” and “for its own benefit”. Literally, according to the ‘investigation’, "pro-Russian actors" promoted "distrust in public institutions," "delegitimised support for Ukraine under the pretext of a real need for aid" for the victims of the flood, and projected "an image of a country plunged into chaos." Or, in other words, these perfidious disinformation agents presented three facts that are easily verifiable for any minimally observant person. The report, as usual, provides no evidence of any kind. This isn't the first time that the Western deep states have shoehorned Russia into their search for culprits to blame for their misfortunes.
RESPONSE
The allegation that there is no evidence of Russia’s exploiting Valencia’s catastrophic floods for disinformation purposes is demonstrably false.
While it is true that the annual report by Spain's National Security Department does not provide specific evidence of this claim, it had already been documented by the Spanish fact-checking organization Maldita.es. The European Digital Media Observatory also reported that half of a Kremlin-linked network of accounts promoting anti-Ukraine marches—disguised as “anti-war” mobilisations—had also spread hoaxes about the DANA natural disaster in Valencia.
Pro-Kremlin disinformation has a background of exploiting natural disasters with the aim of undermining support to Ukraine, as happened before with Hurricane Helene in 2024 and wildfires in California in 2024 and in Hawaii in 2023. The reporting about the 2024 catastrophic floods in southern Poland similarly manipulatively suggested that destruction provoked by natural disaster was possible due to the financial assistance that Poland had provided to Ukraine.
Denying Russia’s illicit actions when it is called out or labelling these accusations as fake or lacking evidence is a frequent pro-Kremlin disinformation technique.
See other examples of similar disinformation narratives, such as claims that Russia is falsely accused of misdeeds by simply affirming that its responsibility is “highly likely”, that the White House admits there is no evidence of Russian interference in US elections, that the West is scaremongering its population with a mythical Russian threat, that Borrell’s claims about executed Ukrainian POWs are disinformation, or that hackers interfering in elections were Israelis, not Russian.