On July 29, 2023, the European Union announced further measures to counter Russia's fake news industry by imposing sanctions on five Russian entities and seven individuals involved in

spreading disinformation. These entities and individuals were responsible for a deceptive campaign called "Recent Reliable News," which aimed to propagate propaganda in support of Russia's war against Ukraine. The disinformation campaign operated by impersonating reputable Western media outlets like The Guardian, Der Spiegel, and Le Monde, while utilizing fake social media accounts to disseminate misleading information.

Among the entities facing sanctions are InfoRos, a news website closely associated with the Russian military intelligence service GROe, ANO Dialog, the Institute for the Russian Diaspora, and various ICT companies, along with seven representatives linked to these organizations. The EU's actions include restricting access to EU assets and entry into the European Union for the sanctioned individuals, as well as imposing a ban on any European businesses engaging in transactions with them. The updated sanctions list now encompasses approximately 1800 entities and individuals.

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, emphasized the significance of these new listings as a strong signal of the EU's awareness regarding the manipulation of their information space and the operating tactics used by these fake news outlets. He reiterated the EU's unwavering determination to prevent, deter, and effectively respond to such threats using new tools and measures. Photo by IFLA, Wikimedia commons.