Russia gave support to Catalan separatists before the referendum in October 2017, stated the President of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution of Germany Hans-Georg Maassen at a conference in Berlin, reports Spiegel.

“German special services said this is based on the fact that Russian trolls “riled up” public disputes about the independence of Catalonia. They obviously have evidence that Russia used propaganda to support the Catalan separatist movement…Masseen said that he did not receive the information first hand, but he considers it trustworthy,” the article in the publication stated.

Masseen stated that the support was given by means of “misinformation and propaganda,” not financially.

It was reported that at the conference, German, British, and NATO special services accused Russia of trying to destabilize Western democracies.

  Catalonia, Russia, Germany

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