Russia tried to influence last month’s Dutch election by spreading fake news, according to the annual report of the Dutch intelligence service AIVD, published Tuesday. Rob Bertholee, the head of AIVD, told local media that Moscow did not succeed in “substantially influencing” the election process. “I think they have tried to push voters in the wrong direction by spreading news items that are not true, or partially true,” Bertholee said, without mentioning specific examples.
According to the report, the threat from Russia to the Netherlands and Europe is higher than a year ago and Russia is “extremely active in espionage,” and not just during elections.
“In its efforts to position itself as a superpower, Russia is not afraid of using Cold War methods to obtain political influence. Russia is using the freedom of open and democratic societies of the West [to do this].”
Prior to the election on March 15, the Dutch government decided to change the way it counts votes because of software problems and fears of Russian hacking.
Source: Russia spread fake news during Dutch election: report – POLITICO.
