Fake pre-election video of Pavel originated from Russia

A fake video of Petr Pavel that was widely shared in the run-up to the second round of the presidential elections originated from a Telegram account belonging to the Kremlin-controlled media outlet Sputnik, according to the latest analysis by the Centre Against Hybrid Threats.

The video, which first appeared on a Telegram account called neČT24, had been misleadingly edited to make it appear to show Mr Pavel declaring that Czechia must wage war against Russia. The report thus concludes that Russia was trying to prevent Petr Pavel's election through disinformation activity.

The neČT24 Telegram account is the new account of Russian propaganda outlet Sputnik, which is on the EU sanctions list.