EU politicians on Putin’s payroll. The Kremlin’s plan to stop aid to Ukraine and to influence the European elections

The Czech government has sanctioned two people, including pro-Russian Ukrainian politician Viktor Viktor Medvedciuk, and the news website voiceofeurope.com for running a Moscow-funded pro-Russian influence operation to dissuade EU countries from helping Ukraine. Ukrainian and Israeli citizen Artyom Marshevski, who ran the site on Medvedciuk’s orders, was also sanctioned for spreading anti-Ukrainian propaganda and disinformation. Moreover, the Czech press writes that it has exposed a Russian network that tried to influence the European elections.

By the Observator editorial team on 28.03.2024, 11:01

Czech intelligence services uncovered a network funded by Moscow that was spreading Russian propaganda about Ukraine and extending its influence to the European Parliament, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala announced on Wednesday.

The Czech Republic has uncovered a network funded by Moscow that discouraged EU countries from helping Ukraine

The Voice of Europe website, based in Prague, was being used to spread information aimed at dissuading the EU from helping Ukraine in its fight against a Russian invasion launched in February 2022.

According to Fiala, the pro-Russian network uncovered by the Czech Intelligence Service (BIS) was carrying out activities that “could have an important effect on the security of the Czech Republic and the EU”.

“This group was carrying out operations and activities on the territory of the EU aimed at undermining the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine,” added the Czech prime minister in front of journalists.

“The group’s activity (…) also goes all the way to the European Parliament,” he also said, without revealing details. According to BIS, the network was financed from Russia.

“The BIS operation revealed the extent to which Russia extends its influence on the territory of the EU member states and how it tries to influence the political processes in our country,” BIS emphasized on the X social network.

The Czech government placed Voice of Europe, Viktor Medvedciuk, a former Ukrainian deputy and businessman close to the Kremlin, as well as media man Artiom Marševski on the list of people sanctioned in connection with the network’s activities.

European politicians on Putin’s payroll. The Russians tried to influence the European elections

According to the publication Denik N, European politicians cooperating with the Voice of Europe website, which published calls by some of them for the end of aid to Ukraine, were paid by Russian funds, which also financed campaigns for the upcoming European elections.

Payments would have reached political leaders in Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands and Poland, according to the publication, which quotes a Czech diplomatic source. This emphasized the involvement of the far-right German party Alternative for Germany (AfD).

Artiom Marşevski was responsible for the content of Voice of Europe, as well as for relations with European politicians, according to the same source.

According to a source from the Ministry of Finance, quoted by the Czech press, the Voice of Europe website will be able to continue to function. “However, his accounts will be frozen, and the assets and profits will not go to people related to the company,” explained the source, quoted by Denik N.