European surveys discovered Russian espionage and influences in the Bruxelles’s policies

Czech government stated to have discovered a propaganda network financed by Moscow, that tried to influence the European politics and to steer the public opinion against Ukrainian’s help. 

Prague identified two key people: Viktor Medvedchuk - he was an Ukrainian oligarch and pro-Kremlin - and Artem Marchevskyi, media manager who worked for an Ukraine channel. Their activities, led through the website Voice of Europe, presumably focused on the promotion of pro-Russian stories and on the payment - both by cash and cryptocurrency - of some pro-Moscow politicians before the elections in the European Parliament - coming from Germany, France, Poland, Belgium, Netherlands and Hungary.

The flow of money from Moscow till Europe shall spread the message against the delivery of arms in Ukraine, promoting it as the best way to rapidly end the war. These revelations caused a stir in all Europe and other politicians affirmed that some Members of the European Parliament and of the Local Governments were involved in receiving money. 

A more complex system than it seems: how does it work?

The Adapt Institute, a Slovak analytical think-tank that works on security policy, describes  how the Russian manipulation works. Individually, they would organize and support some events, as some study visits to the European Parliament, experts round tables on politic briefing in order to build influence network, recruit new resources or collect information.

They also exploit the involvement of the public through the traditional and social media in order to act like effective disturbers, interrupting procedures and debates in the parliament. 

The key connection in this scheme was the website located in Prague, Voice of Europe, which has been offline for one week, but its social media accounts are still accessible and reveal some messages anti-EU, anti-migration and anti-Ukrainian.  

Voice of Europe has also presented some interviews with some well known extreme-rightwing populist politicians, like “Alternative für Deutschland" (AfD) in Deutschland, del "Rassemblement National" in France e del "Vlaams Belang" in Belgium.

According to some Czech media, Voice of Europe began to operate in spring in 2023. In that time, it sparked interest in the Security Information Service (BIS) in Czech Republic, that handled the case with the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).

According to Jan Kovár, director of the Institute of International Relations in Prague, there have been held some seminars and conferences thanks to this “mass media”, where participants promoted pro-Russian stories. 

Goals and effects of the online disinformation campaign 

Different degrees of partiality have been shown on different website, from the critics towards the West Countries, to the exclusive choice of negative information about Ukrain and the Russian positive coverage, till the diffusion of fake news about Russia and a severe propaganda of the Kremlin, that cites Putin public media. The most radical sources spread also theories about a global conspiracy, condemning the West Countries and its politician, predicting their downfall. 

Almost all of these pro-Russian sources public these kind of topics: Russian positive coverage, justification of its invasion and of the war against Ukraine through the propaganda and fake media of the Kremlin. There are some common terms used, like “Nazi in Ukrain”, “Donbas bombing” and “self-defense” against the east expansion of NATO. 

Most of these websites promote extreme right-wing political party and actors and right-wing radicals, that are know for their pro-Russian position or for their declaration pro-Putin. Another category of website, on the contrary, has left-wing radicals opinions and communist feelings, as the anti-nazi mission against Ukrain, and a nostalgic feeling towards Soviet Union. 

Charges are growing 

Not only come charges from Czech Republic. But also Italian intelligence agencies warned Bruxelles on the interferences of Moscow in the European politics, whose aim was to affect the European strategy of energy diversification through the spread of fake news. But one of the most alarming case is the crime against humanity: the eurodeputate Tatjana Zdanoka - who represents the Russian speaking minority in Latvia - is accused to be part of the Russian intelligence. 

In the same way, about one mont ago, a Serbian citizen, Novica Antic, was accused of infiltrating the EU institution and spreading pro-Kremlin opinions. He is accused of being an “influence active agent” by the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB) and he would have met also the Members of the Parliament, who were unaware of his relationship with Moscow. 

Poland has become a crucial objective: the country is the gateway for the Western military supplies to Ukraine, indeed Warsaw accusing Moscow and Belarus of seeking to undermine it. According to an investigation completed in January, the Polish Internal Security Agency (ABW) indicted and withdrew the Polish commander of the eurocorps - the joint military group of some EU and NATO countries - and an investigation by the Polish Military Counterintelligence Service (SKW) has been initiated. 

What are the European institutions in Bruxelles doing?

In February, the European Parliament adapted a resolution, being so worried about the Russian interference in the EU democratic processes “though both traditional and social media”. The European Commission was encouraged to rapidly act with some measures, in order to stop the persist interference. 

In November, the institutions had already agreed on some common rules about the political pubblicità, avoiding the foreign actors to advertise announcement before an election or a referendum. 

The Commission is now working on a draft law for a foreign agents Registry, in terms of defense of the democracy, according to which all the foreign-funded organizations conducting actions of interest should register with a European transparency register. 

The European Parliament suspended the access to the Parliament and to the multimedia systems to the media agencies that are inscribes in the sanction lists of the EU.

The Parliament political groups, on 29th March, declared to ask for a rapid action about the Russian interference charges and plan to discuss about the question, fearing the impact of such a scandal in the European election in June. 

The president of Renew Europe, Valérie Hayer, wrote a letter to Metsola, asking for a debate and a resolution in the next Parliament’s plenary session, between 10th and 11th April in Bruxelles. Socialists and Democrats (S&D) will support a request of a debate about the Russian interference. 

Maximilian Krah, Member of the Parliament, being part of the extreme right-wing party “Alternative for Germany” (AfD) appeared on X, after being associated with Voice of Europe and the inquiry of Czech Republic, stating that he had given only two interviews to Voice of Europe in the last two years: “There isn’t any specific accuse that I had been paid for one of these”, he said. “This shows what to think about the present campaign: nothing!”. 

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