SWI swissinfo.ch
Keystone-SDA
January 8, 2026 - 12:18
Swiss defence minister denounces increasing stream of disinformation from Russia.
Pfister interprets this as an attempt to influence Swiss politics and to unsettle the population.
The fact that Russia wants to influence the West with hybrid conflict management is nothing new – nor is the fact that Switzerland is increasingly affected by this. But rarely has a government minister condemned Russian “conspiracy narratives”, as Pfister called them, so clearly.
“Russia in particular has been increasingly attacking Switzerland with influence operations since 2022,” he said during a speech at a Swiss media industry event.
Russia primarily spreads disinformation and propaganda in Switzerland, claiming, among other things, that Switzerland is no longer neutral, no longer democratic and no longer safe.
Pfister gave a concrete example at the publishers’ meeting. In an influencing activity last May, pro-Russian accounts distributed a video from Geneva taken out of context in a coordinated manner on seven social media platforms and in all official Swiss languages.
“This supposedly showed that Switzerland was sinking into chaos,” said Pfister. The posts were viewed over two million times within a short space of time.
The two well-known Russian disinformation platforms Russia Today and Pravda alone disseminate between 800 and 900 articles per month in Switzerland, Pfister added. If such narratives continue unchecked, a society becomes vulnerable.
Swiss media publishers could play a decisive role in such an environment, Pfister said. “A healthy media system is also part of the Swiss security architecture.”
Especially in times of technological change and geopolitical uncertainty, the media need to fulfil their responsibilities more than ever.
swissinfo.ch - Swiss defence ministry funds domestic satellites with eye on sovereign communications network.
The first test satellite from the Geneva-based company Wisekey has been flying over Switzerland three times a day since January, with more to follow.
The satellite is not much larger than a desktop computer – a gray box equipped with panels. Wisekey launched the first test satellite for the Swiss army in January from California on a launch vehicle from Elon Musk’s company SpaceX.
Company founder and CEO Carlos Moreira confirmed this to Swiss public broadcaster SRF. “The satellite belongs to us. We lease it to the Swiss army through a partnership,” Moreira said.
Moreira’s company has been working with the army for three years. The next satellite is scheduled to be launched in June, with five more to follow. “Every time the satellite flies over Switzerland, we conduct tests,” said Moreira.
