German intelligence services have detected an increase in the spread of false information about German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, suspected of being linked to Russia, the German newspaper "Handelsblatt" reported today.

According to the newspaper, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), the German service that deals with internal security and the detection of threats to the constitutional order, stated that: "Since the end of June 2026, the frequency of these activities has increased further."

According to the BfV, disinformation campaigns are mainly distributed through the social network X and other social platforms.

In some cases, manipulated or fabricated videos are used, which are created to appear as if they were published by well-known media outlets.

The goal is to make people believe the false information, thinking it comes from a reliable source.

According to German intelligence, among the groups linked to the spread of false information about Merz are the campaign called "Matrjoschka" and the group "Storm-1516".

The German government officially linked "Storm-1516" to Russia in December 2025.

This group had been found previously, spreading false information during the German parliamentary elections of February 2025.