A covert phase of the parliamentary election campaign has begun in Cyprus—not through political programs and debates, but through Russian-language propaganda and street leaflets.
On October 2, 2025, the pro-Kremlin website Cyprus Butterfly published a manifesto calling for an «uprising» against the Cypriot authorities. Leaflets with the same content were distributed in Nicosia the day before on behalf of the mysterious Zorro Cyprus movement, linked to the organization Δημοτική Κίνηση Πολιτεία («Politeia»).
Linguistic analysis shows that the text was originally written in Russian, translated into Greek, and bears all the hallmarks of an information and psychological special operation by the Russian special services.
Usually, the start of the election season in Cyprus is accompanied by statements from party leaders, the publication of lists, and party slogans. In 2025, everything is different.
On October 1, Cyprus Independence Day, leaflets were distributed in Nicosia calling for a «popular uprising against corrupt politicians.» The very next day, Cyprus Butterfly, a Russian-language portal known for its proximity to the Russian embassy and openly promoting Kremlin narratives, posted a Russian translation of the full text of the leaflet and emphasized: «activists of the Zorro Cyprus movement distributed thousands of copies.» The paper copies bear the ZORRO CYPRUS logo, which is the only «signature» under the text.
Here is the full text as published on the CB website:
«Presidents of the Republic of Cyprus, prosecutors, ministers, judges, police chiefs, members of parliament, high-ranking officials, bankers — all of you, old and new. All of you who have been destroying our Cyprus for decades are accused of betraying Cyprus and its people. With your claims and inaction, your ignorance and corruption, you have brought the citizens of Cyprus to ruin, despair, hopelessness, economic impoverishment, and even suicide. Because of your actions, hundreds of thousands of people are on the brink of poverty. For years, you have placed your friends and relatives in positions of power – positions that determine the economy and the fate of the entire nation. You have people who are completely incapable of governing us, people without ambition, without purpose, without patriotism, leading the nation nowhere. You do not pay for every mistake and every act of negligence; you make us pay for your stupidity, your blunders, your mismanagement, and your theft. But someday you will answer for this. Even those who do nothing and sit in their positions, keeping their mouths shut to preserve their status, are equally guilty.
Today, Cyprus’s national debt seems acceptable, as we continue to receive income from the sale of our land. But when this process stops and the bubble bursts, we will face what Greece has already faced. Creditors will demand their money, the «troika» will impose cuts in salaries and pension taxes for everyone, even those close to power, and state institutions such as EAC and CYTA will be sold off. In essence, we will cease to be an independent state and will be ruled by others. That is the goal: that is why they are lending us billions and urging us to continue borrowing until the boom comes. And then what, Mr. President?
In 2013, with a national debt of only 13 billion, Cyprus found itself in the «junk» category and escaped from the top three at the last minute. Today, the debt has reached $27 billion. This new «bubble» is not a stock market shock or a simple haircut, but a threat of complete ruin and impoverishment of the people.
We are the only country in Europe that has suffered from a reduction in deposits and securities. Even today, with all our land sales, «golden passports,» and billions in stock losses, we remain the worst economy in Europe. And, as if that weren’t enough, $10 billion from our social insurance funds has been stolen.
If we don’t react now, it will be too late. It is not enough for 10, 20, or 50 thousand people to take to the streets—that will be a failure. We must all come out: 800,000 citizens, children, students, parents, and grandparents. We demand justice, the condemnation of all those who have brought us to this chaos, and, above all, a change in the Constitution.
No one can be above the law and justice—no minister, no judge, no president.
Cypriots—Greeks, Pontians, Maronites, Armenians: rise up! Get up from your chairs so you can look your children in the eye. They are drinking your blood, they are destroying your children’s lives.
Young people, students, where are you going? What are you doing? Remember how fifteen-year-old children took to the streets to protest against the English conquerors. Children who were sacrificed on the gallows, executed by a cruel empire, and yet they rose up so that you could be free and independent today. And you? You bow your heads before a few hundred idlers? Before the Freemasons, before the politicians who enrich themselves and commit criminal offenses against you without punishment. Drug dealers are killing our children; they are in the government, in the parties.
You see them every day. They voted to ban protests. They shot at the foundations of democracy. Don’t just stand by and watch. Don’t become accomplices. Rise up! The only thing they know how to do is illegally raise their own salaries! For corruption? But not a cent for the people!
But we will not remain silent! Cyprus is our homeland, our home, and it is our duty to defend it. Cyprus is not France, Greece, or America. We can make sure they have nowhere to hide, make sure they are ashamed to leave their homes. Enough fatalism!
Our children deserve a future. They deserve to live with dignity, to have a family, to build and create.
The worst is yet to come if we do nothing. But we can change the course of events! Justice may be gone, but power is in our hands. (But when the law does not serve justice, justice should not serve the law.) Our courts are second in Europe in terms of delays in hearing cases.
As Papaflessas would say: «Have a heart! Have faith! Rise up! Take action! For yourself, for your children, for your children’s children! If not, then sit there where you have been cowardly kneeling all these years.»
Cyprus could become one of the richest countries in Europe with a fair and outspoken government. Those who make mistakes, fail to act, and cause damage to the economy of Cyprus and its people must be punished. We demand the disclosure of all scandals, including the archives of the last twenty years, and the establishment of control by the European mechanism. We demand the return of everything that has been stolen and the conviction of those responsible.
ZORRO is you! Free from parties and organizations, defender of justice and Cyprus
Together we will win There are 800,000 of us and 400 of them!”
The manifesto contains a number of techniques used by Russian special services in destructive information and psychological operations: exaggerated descriptions of the crisis, appeals to national pride, calls for a general uprising, and accusations of impoverishment and corruption.
When the authors of the manifesto accuse the Cypriot authorities of embezzling social security funds, they specify the amount as $10 billion — dollars, not euros. This seemingly insignificant detail reveals a lot: no Cypriot writing about the country’s domestic economy would use dollars in this context. This proves that the text was not written by Cypriots, but by people accustomed to thinking in terms of American currency, most likely Russians.
The manifesto promises punishment for the elites, «constitutional change,» and «the return of everything that has been stolen.»
The text itself is a classic propaganda pamphlet directed against the political elite of Cyprus and calling for an uprising. It is not a political program, but an emotional tool for destabilizing the country.
After conducting research based on linguistic markers and analyzing the structure and vocabulary of the manifesto, linguistic experts concluded that the text of the leaflet was originally written in Russian and then translated into Greek.
Based on a combination of stylistic, syntactic, and semantic features, as well as the use of emotionally charged vocabulary, experts estimate the probability of the text’s origin as follows:
Russian — 75%,
Greek — 10%,
English — 15%.
The characteristic emotional vocabulary — «they drink your blood,» «they destroyed our Cyprus,» «Freemasons and drug dealers in power» — is typical of Russian propaganda rhetoric. It always contains hyperbole, demonization, and the search for an external enemy. However, this time, the authors, apparently due to an oversight, forgot to add the well-known «culprits of all evils» — Jews and cyclists.
The syntax and structure of the sentences repeat the patterns found in RT and Sputnik propaganda materials. The vocabulary, morphology, and style all point to Russian origin.
The use of conspiracy clichés such as «the EU/IMF troika» and «selling the homeland to the West» is a sure sign of Russian propaganda. The sequence of phrases and the rhythm of the text are obvious copies of Russian propaganda materials.
There is a clear attempt to manipulate public opinion: the text uses classic techniques of Soviet/Russian propaganda—emotional appeals (despair, the blood of children, shame before future generations), the dichotomy of «us (the people) and them (the elites — traitors, corrupt officials, Freemasons, drug dealers),» historical analogies (the struggle against British colonizers), and calls for mass action (the uprising of all 800,000 citizens).
The goal is to destabilize the country.
Experts point out that in terms of genre, this is a political manifesto aimed at creating feelings of humiliation, resentment, and anger and stirring up protest sentiment. The syntax and stylistic markers appear to be copied from Russian propaganda materials.
Virtually identical texts in the same style and using the same set of psychological manipulation techniques were distributed before the parliamentary elections in Moldova in September 2025. There, they were part of Moscow’s efforts to promote pro-Russian candidates to parliament and discredit the current authorities.
Now we are seeing Russian special services implementing exactly the same scenario in Cyprus.
There is a clear goal to establish a «Cyprus People’s Republic» on the island, which will naturally become a puppet of Russia. As is customary for Russian special services, this is being done through local proxies with the help of a fifth column, which is the numerous and very influential Russian-speaking diaspora and the recruited Cypriots who have joined them.
And then what the Kremlin so passionately desires will happen: the «new people’s government» will take Cyprus out of the European Union, close British military bases, and open Russian military bases. It will resume direct air links with Russia, abolish visas for its citizens, and begin to issue Cypriot passports to them en masse. And very soon, Russian special services and criminals will seize the island and rule it on behalf of the Kremlin.
The same set of psychological techniques was used in exactly the same manifestos on the eve of the invasion of eastern Ukraine (2014) and before the full-scale military aggression of 2022.
The destabilization scheme used by Russian special services in other countries is being replicated in Cyprus down to the smallest detail: creating a sense of apocalypse, proclaiming «people’s power,» dividing society, and offering themselves as «protectors» against external and internal threats. Classic.
In essence, the manifesto is part of a «hybrid» special operation by Russian special services, aimed at pushing society towards a change of power in Cyprus and altering the country’s political course.
In practical terms, the operation aims to promote pro-Russian candidates under the slogan of «fighting corruption,» creating «popular movements» such as Zorro Cyprus as a cover for a forceful seizure of power, and preparing the ground for Cyprus’s exit from the EU, weakening ties with NATO, and replacing British bases with Russian ones under the pretext of «independence.»
Such leaflets are not just propaganda. They are part of a hybrid war aimed at undermining trust in the authorities, intimidating the elites, and polarizing society. The message is crystal clear: if you do not obey your «elder Russian Orthodox brother,» we will replace you with our own people.
For Cyprus, which has survived the 2013 economic crisis, the aftermath of corruption scandals, and difficult reforms, such a provocation could end in disaster. It could cause political chaos, mass unrest, and social division, which is always Moscow’s goal in order to gain even more leverage over the situation in the country. Turkey, in this case, will not stand aside either and will certainly take advantage of the political instability in Cyprus.
The Zorro Cyprus leaflet and the publication of its text on an information resource controlled by the Russian special services is not a coincidence, but a carefully constructed technique by Moscow to interfere in the internal affairs of Cyprus.
Russian special services always use the same method: appealing to «popular anger,» emotional slogans, demonizing the elites, and promising «justice» through a change of power by means of violence and chaos.
We are now witnessing the initial stage of this special operation to destabilize Cyprus. There will be many such special operations with the same goals but different methods before the parliamentary elections. Moscow is doing everything in its power to take total control of the island.
Cyprus has become the new target in Moscow’s chain of hybrid operations — after Georgia, Ukraine, Romania, Moldova, the Czech Republic… The parliamentary elections are an extremely convenient moment for the Russian special services and their agents of influence within the country to replace the current government in Nicosia with people loyal to Moscow.
Russia is posing a deadly challenge to the people of Cyprus and Cypriot democracy.