EU anti-propaganda unit gets €1m a year to counter Russian fake news

East Stratcom taskforce will be funded from EU budget for first time after summit highlights threat from 'cyber-attacks and fake news'

The EU is stepping up its campaign to counter disinformation and fake news from Russia by spending more than a1m a year on its specialist anti-propaganda unit.

For the first time since the team was set up in 2015, the East Stratcom taskforce will have money from the EU budget, rather than relying on contributions from EU member states or squeezing other budget lines. The unit has been granted a1.1m (980,000) a year from the EU budget for 2018-20, according to a source familiar with the team's work.