DISINFO: Führer Ursula is militarising the EU to defeat Russia whilst the EU economy is collapsing
SUMMARY
Führer Ursula is mobilising everyone to militarise Europe again. There is talk of incredible sums of money to divert the population's attention from those tens and hundreds of billions of euros that were spent during the days of Covid and for aid to Ukraine without adequate control. The EU has lost its independence and its economic sense. Companies are moving to the United States, the deindustrialisation of Europe is taking place. The EU is willing to sacrifice all of this in order to achieve the ideological goal of 'defeating' Russia.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the alleged collapse of the EU economy, this time because of “de-industrialisation”, as well as narratives about the Nazi, warmongering and anti-Russian EU.
The EU is the second largest economy in the world in nominal terms, after the United States and the third largest at purchasing power parity (PPP), after China and the US.
According to a recent study by Oxford Economics the claims of deindustrialisation in Europe are overblown. European industry as a whole and specific industries are undergoing transformation; the difference is that this will not translate into deindustrialisation. Some industries will decline, but this will be offset by the rise of others.
Referring to Ursula von der Leyen as 'Führer Ursula' is a clear attempt to portray the President of the European Commission and the EU itself as fascist. This is a recurrent narrative aimed at presenting Europe and the West as a Nazi/ Fascist civilisation that is Russophobic and aggressive towards Russia.
The European Union was set up with the aim of ending the frequent and bloody wars between neighbours, which culminated in the Second World War. The fascist ideology and the EU are based on opposite values and principles. Read more here.
The accusation of Nazism/ Fascism and building a link to Nazi Germany is one of the favourite techniques of pro-Kremlin outlets. Read earlier propaganda cases linking Nazi Germany “Drang nach Osten” concept and the current EU’s policies and our past analysis Nazi east, Nazi west, Nazi over the cuckoo’s nest.
All the disinformation messages above appeared after the EU's recent decision to allocate an additional 800 billion euros for defence needs. According to the words of Ursula von der Leyen, “Europe faces a clear and present danger on a scale that none of us has seen in our adult lifetime. ReArm Europe’ could mobilise close to 800 billion euros of defence expenditures for a safe and resilient Europe”.
See also the European Council conclusions on European defence, 6 March 2025 and our article 'Reminder: Russia wants war, not peace'.
The ongoing increase in defence spending across the EU is explained by the most aggressive Russian actions – annexation of Crimea, War in Donbas and the 2022 large-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Read similar disinformation cases claiming that The EU diplomacy’s vision for peace in Ukraine illustrates its Russophobia, that The de-industrialised West cannot challenge the largest industrial powers Russia and China, that The EU is taking the Third Reich’s path and that Europe justifies the increasing defence budgets with “belligerent” Moscow.