Kremlin media are shaping the views of a sizeable pro-Russia constituency in the EU, experts and officials warn.
The numbers show, according to US pollster Pew, that one in three Germans and one in four French people think the EU should relax Russia sanctions.
Overall approval of Russian leader Vladimir Putin is down in Europe. But one in four Germans, especially in east Germany, do have confidence in him, in what they call "Putinverstehers", or, "Putin-understanders".
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Already a member? Login hereAndrew Rettman is EUobserver's foreign editor, writing about foreign and security issues since 2005. He is Polish, but grew up in the UK, and lives in Brussels. He has also written for The Guardian, The Times of London, and Intelligence Online.