Who's behind the pessimism in Spain? Bots or real problems

Are Russian bots sowing pessimism in Spain?

The question resurfaces every time someone points to the prevailing negativity in public debate. A recent analysis claims that much of the demoralization and polarization in Spain is the work of Russian propaganda groups operating around the clock. The thesis is not new: it echoes European intelligence reports on hybrid warfare. But the devil is in the details.

According to this line of thinking, the main megaphones of the pro-Russian narrative in Spain would include figures such as Pedro Baños, Rubén Gisbert or Liu Sivaya, alongside organizations such as the Communist Party of Spain and Falange, and channels such as HispanTV and NegociosTV. The accusation is blunt: they would be amplifying discontent to divide the country.

However, the response from other quarters is devastating. They argue there is no need to invoke conspiracies to explain the malaise: crumbling infrastructure, an overwhelmed health system, a deteriorating education system, unaffordable housing and mass immigration straining public services. The anger, they say, has domestic roots, not foreign ones.

The debate quickly spirals into mutual mudslinging. Some dismiss any criticism of the government as Russian propaganda; others reply that the propaganda claim is an excuse to avoid tackling real problems. The irony is that both sides are partly right: influence operations do exist, but so do objective shortcomings.

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The curious thing about the whole affair is that, while some see bots around every corner, others see scapegoats. In the end, the country remains just as divided, and the only certainty is that distrust of the official narrative – wherever it comes from – is a cross-cutting phenomenon.