I'm adjusting my prediction to account for the data from the latest data about the full month of March. 8 cases have been reported, which is about on par with the average of the past few months.
While researching another question, I came across the linked article, detailing how the least informed people in Germany are those who get their news from sources other than traditional news articles.
If spreading disinformation through platforms such as TikTok, X, or YouTube is more effective than writing more traditional news items, then Russian campaigns might focus on those. If that's the case, it would be possible to see the number of reported disinformation cases declining while Russian propaganda escalates elsewhere online.
Reuters - Researchers have warned that foreign actors, especially Russia, are actively seeding popular social media platforms with disinformation designed to advance their agenda
A couple of examples:
- 57% of German newspaper readers and 56.5% of public TV viewers fully agreed that China was a dictatorship, only 28.1% of those who got news from TikTok did so
- 40.2% of national newspaper readers fully agreed it was important the West backed Ukraine against Russia's invasion, only 13.6% of TikTok users did so.
TikTok users were also less likely than consumers of traditional media to believe China and Russia spread false information and more likely to believe the German government did so.
[1] Reuters - German TikTokers like China, Russia more, poll shows
Why do you think you're right?
A recent survey shows 2/3 of Germans are worried about Russia invading other European countries. [1]
In another opinion survey [2]:
Finally,
Even without a definitive confirmation, this is sufficient to instill doubt in the minds of many and change their perception of Russia.
All these news items suggest the Germans' perceived threat posed by Russia isn't diminishing, and it's quite likely that it has increased following the re-election of Trump.
[1] DW - Germany: Far-right AfD rises in the polls
[2] In the face of war and Trump, taking the measure of European public opinion
[3] BBC - Germany wary of claims Russian influence behind attacks
Why might you be wrong?
While we try to predict whether the number of disinformation cases in German language will increase in 2025, a recent survey of TikTok users proved they are more approving of Russia than their newspaper-reading counterparts.
[4] Reuters - German TikTokers like China, Russia more, poll shows
The Munich Security Index polls people from many countries, but that shouldn't affect the opinion of surveyed Germans.
I wouldn't worry too much about methodology differences. The questions are different, so the answers will be different. Yet if the share of Germans believing that Russia could soon invade another European country increases, it is reasonable to assume that the threat from Russia they perceive is also increasing.
Similar surveys are an extremely good proxy.