Lithuanian Elves
The Lithuanian Elves (named thus, according to their founder, “because elves fight trolls”) are dedicated to countering Russian government disinformation campaigns that attack democratic institutions and attempt to stoke intergroup conflict. Started in 2014 in Lithuania, the Elves are still going a decade later, and like #iamhere and Sleeping Giants, have seen their model replicated in several other countries. Because of the dangers of taking on the Russian government, the Elves are anonymous, and hide their identities carefully.
In one example of their work, a rumor (widely believed to be Russian in origin) spread that a German NATO soldier had raped a Lithuanian teenager. The false rumor first emerged in 2017 and surfaced again in 2022, during Russia’s war on Ukraine. The Elves refuted the rumor, widely posting that it was Russian propaganda.
The Elves work collectively to counter disinformation such as this to undermine Russian propaganda, which often claims Lithuania is a failed state and promotes a return to Russian control of the country. The group began in Lithuania with 20 volunteers, and it has since expanded to 13 Central and Eastern European countries. By March 2022 it was estimated to have more than 22,000 members.
As one member of the Elves said in an interview, the group’s goal is to reach the “common people.” “We hope they are understanding what they are reading. We are trying to make them not be poisoned by the fake news and the propaganda,” he said.
Members of the Elves don’t attempt to change the behavior of coordinated trolls backed by the Russian government. Instead, they attempt to put out enough counterspeech that those reading the comments identify the disinformation and recognize it as false.
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