The President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen announced on her X account that her campaign website has been attacked by bots.
My campaign website https://t.co/RdfpryPjX9 was attacked by bots.
Cyber attacks will not deter us.
I stand for a strong Europe that can defend itself – no matter where. pic.twitter.com/COU5tTsEE4
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen_epp) May 7, 2024
Von der Leyen is running for a second term as EU Commissioner and the attack comes just a month before European elections scheduled for June 6-9 across the bloc.
Media reports have been swirling the past month over Russian interference in the upcoming elections and allegations that some Members of European Parliament (MEPs) have even been paid to disseminate Russian propaganda.
In an announcement by the European Parliament itself, the allegations have been called “credible” and, at the end of April, the Parliament adopted a resolution denouncing such efforts.
A report released just a few days ago by Transparency International raised additional red flags about the potential of foreign governments to influence elections as MEPs are allowed to receive payment for a host of “side gigs”, pending the MEPs declare any annual income over 5,000 euros.
In a separate but related article, website “EU vs Disinfo” outlines how the top strategy used in pro-Kremlin disinformation campaigns is to go after EU leaders through smear attacks and campaigns, and cited President von der Leyen as a top and frequent target of the Kremlin.
