Czech Republic dismantles ‘Russian disinformation network’ ahead of EU elections

NOS News•today, 09:29

The Czech Republic says it has exposed a pro-Russian disinformation campaign in which the Voice of Europe news site played a key role. With the help of pro-Russian politicians in a number of European countries, an attempt was made to question “the territorial integrity, sovereignty and freedom” of Ukraine, according to the Czech Foreign Ministry.

The Czech newspaper Denik N writes, based on conversations with intelligence sources, that politicians have also been paid. Contributions would be intended, among other things, for their campaigns.

Politicians from Germany, France, Poland, Belgium, Hungary and the Netherlands, among others, are said to have been approached and some of them financed. The authorities in the Czech Republic have not confirmed this or mentioned any names. The campaign is said to be intended to influence the European elections in June.

The Czech Republic has imposed sanctions against the company behind the country’s Voice of Europe and two individuals. One of them is the pro-Russian Ukrainian politician Viktor Medvedchuk, who is said to be behind the financing. Medvedchuk is close friends with President Putin and was detained shortly after the Russian invasion of Ukraine following accusations of terrorist financing. In September 2022, he was handed over by Ukraine to Russia in exchange for several hundred captured Ukrainian fighters from the Azov Battalion. Ukraine has stripped Medvedchuk of his nationality.

Ukrainian-Israeli Artem Marchevsky has also been put on a sanctions list by the Czechs. He was allegedly directed by Medvedchuk to run the site and spread anti-Ukrainian propaganda and disinformation. Journalists were allegedly paid for pro-Russian influence and members of the European Parliament were also approached to gain influence. Denik specifically mentions politicians from radical right parties, including the German Alternative for Germany (AfD).

Due to the sanctions, bank accounts have been frozen and Medvedchuk and Marchevsky are no longer allowed to enter the Czech Republic. According to the authorities, the Voice of Europe website, also active on Facebook and It appears that the site is no longer accessible at least from the Netherlands.

The fact that Russia is trying to influence the Ukraine policy of Western countries and the EU with disinformation and propaganda is not new. Just last week, the United States imposed sanctions on two Russian companies that are trying to thwart Western support for Ukraine through online campaigns.

According to The New York Times, online is no longer just about setting up fake accounts on social media, but also about setting up websites that are very similar to regular websites of established media. The aim is to ignite discussions about Western military support to Ukraine, with statements within that discussion falling within freedom of expression.