In 2016, the Netherlands was used as a kind of testing ground for Russian influence campaigns. This is evident from research by Argos and the Open Eyes collective. Through online messages, social media and public debates, Russian networks tried to cast doubt on the association agreement between the EU and Ukraine. The aim was mainly to create confusion and undermine trust in European cooperation.
Experts see similarities with subsequent campaigns around the Brexit referendum and the US presidential election in 2016 and warn that similar influence campaigns could re-emerge if Ukraine wants to join the European Union in the near future.
Listen to the Argos radio broadcast on NPO radio 1 (from Saturday, March 14, at 2 p.m.) via the podcast feed 'Argos Actueel'.
On April 13, there will be an exciting evening program about Russian influence in the Netherlands in Nieuwspoort (The Hague). Ten years after the Ukraine referendum, what can we learn from the disinformation campaign that was then waged by Russia in the Netherlands? What about that again? And you can be there:
On this evening, former AIVD member Jelle Postma shows how Russian influence works, followed by a conversation with Kati Piri, foreign spokesperson and Member of Parliament for Groenlinks-PvdA and journalist and NRC columnist Hubert Smeets, led by Annette van Soest. An evening about misinformation, impact on decision-making and the question: how do we arm ourselves without losing the open debate?
Tickets can be purchased via Newport.
This evening is a collaboration between Argos, Open Eyes Institute, Multiple Journalism, Haagsch College and Nieuwspoort and is made possible in part by the Democracy and Media Foundation, Stimuleringsfonds voor de Journalism and the Vfonds.
Do you want to learn how to research, create and publish these kinds of journalistic stories yourself?
In August 2026, Open Eyes will start new training courses. In these courses, you will learn how to develop and sell journalistic stories, and you will work on your own publications under the guidance of top journalists. The courses will start on August 31, 2026. The deadline for registration is August 14, 2026.
More information and registration: https://www.openeyesinstitute.org/aanbod/deeltijd-studiejaar-onderzoeksjournalistiek
