Călin Georgescu’s campaign for Romanian presidency supported by pandemic-era Russian disinformation network, Financial Times says

An investigation by the famous British newspaper Financial Times revealed that the campaign of former Romanian presidential candidate Călin Georgescu was supported by a Russian network also used during the pandemic in France and Germany to instill fear of vaccines.

The newspaper’s investigation began in continuation of those by Bulgarian and Romanian journalists at BG Elves and Snoop, focusing on advertising company AdNow. Behind this company, however, are the same individuals, most of whom are based in Novosibirsk, Russia, who worked on the presidential campaigns of Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Medvedev in 2014 and 2018, as well as for their party, United Russia, according to Financial Times.

“AdNow, an online advertising company founded in 2014 by Russian citizens with its headquarters in Moscow and a branch in London, was used in a disinformation campaign targeting Western coronavirus vaccines. The company, now relocated to Bulgaria, has been active in advertising campaigns in Romania and Bulgaria in recent years,” the article notes.

British journalists traced the AdNow network’s connections back in time, incorporating revelations by Snoop in Romania. These findings showed that the company functioned as an online advertising agent, funneling payments to Călin Georgescu's supporters for ads that generated estimated revenues of EUR 2 million in recent years. It is questionable whether the products, such as pills claiming to rid users of toxins, justified such extensive ad campaigns.

“Documents show that despite multiple ownership changes, AdNow maintains links to far-right, pro-Russian circles in Romania and played a significant role in paving the way for the anti-vaccine, mystical, and ultranationalist messages promoted by Călin Georgescu,” the article points out.

During the pandemic years, AdNow was linked to a campaign that sought to discredit the effectiveness of Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines at a time when Russia was launching its vaccine, Sputnik.

The founder and general manager of AdNow between 2014 and 2018 was Iulia Serebrianskaia, a graduate of Novosibirsk State University. She worked on the presidential campaigns of Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Medvedev and later served as communications director for the ruling United Russia party. The company was subsequently transferred to another Russian citizen.

The main Russian AdNow operation was sold last year and is now owned and operated by a Georgian citizen named Giorgi Abuladze, who denied involvement in any Russian disinformation campaigns. However, an analysis by Bulgarian journalists at BG Elves revealed that many AdNow employees are still Russian, with several dozen continuing to reside in Novosibirsk and other Russian cities.