KaterynaChernoval23:37, 04.06.24

In particular, a leading member of the far-right Alternative for Germany party, Petr Bystron, is implicated in the case.

Russia is secretly bribing far-right officials across Europe. In particular, European intelligence drew attention to the actions of Russians in the Czech Republic, where an associate of one of Putin’s closest allies opened a pro-Kremlin mass media, the Voice of Europe, a year ago.

According to The Washington Post , the Czech authorities conducted a thorough investigation and closed the Russian site, calling it a propaganda operation of the Russian Federation. However, the case did not stop only in the Czech Republic – the investigation quickly spread to other countries, including Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, and France.The law enforcement officers came to the conclusion that “Voice of Europe” is something more than just a pro-Russian media.

“This organization was used to transfer hundreds of thousands of euros – up to 1 million per month – to dozens of far-right politicians in more than five countries in order to spread Kremlin propaganda in the Western media, which will sow division in Europe and strengthen the position of pro-Russian candidates in the European Parliament elections, that will take place this week,” the newspaper writes with reference to intelligence representatives of various states.

Officials have called the operation one of the Kremlin’s largest in Europe in its efforts to undermine support for Ukraine and split the transatlantic alliance. The Kremlin’s previous covert actions include attempting to unite the far right and far left in Germany, fomenting internal divisions in France and sabotage in Poland.

Internal Kremlin documents obtained by one of Europe’s intelligence services and reviewed by The Post show that VOE was part of an influence campaign created by the Kremlin in close coordination with Viktor Medvedchuk, a Putin ally who before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine led a pro-Moscow opposition party in Ukraine. parliament The plan was later run by a lieutenant named Medvedchuka, who, other documents show, worked closely with a unit of Russia’s Federal Security Service known as the Fifth Service of the FSB.

The head of the Czech internal security service, Milal Kudelka, said that the “Voice of Europe” operation was also an attempt to bring more pro-Russian deputies to the European Parliament. According to him, “a plan was developed according to which people in the European Parliament will conduct classical espionage” in favor of Russia.

Not only the Czech Republic: officials from Germany are also involved in the case

The investigation in the Czech Republic led to searches of the home and offices of an assistant to a far-right Dutch member of the European Parliament and Petr Bystron, a leading member of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party and the party’s No. 2 candidate for the European Parliament.

He was one of the ardent opponents of sending Western weapons to Ukraine and advocated the lifting of sanctions against Russia. As three high-ranking European intelligence officials told The Post, one of the recordings found during the searches showed Bystron complaining to a Voice of Europe employee about the difficulty in transporting tens of thousands in cash to his home in Mallorca.

However, Bystron was not only a “passive person who received money”, he took an active part in involving other political figures in the “Voice of Europe” project.

“Security services in Europe continue to investigate the role of dozens of other far-right politicians in the Voice of Europe network, including from France, Belgium and the Netherlands, as well as six more AfD figures, including politicians and parliamentary aides. Belgian authorities have also played a leading role in the investigation, as key meetings of “Voice of Europe” with politicians took place elsewhere in Europe, in particular in Brussels,” – notes The Washington Post.

At the same time, the Czech special services, as before, remain vigilant.

“We stopped [Operation Voice of Europe] and I am very proud of my service,” Kudelka said.

But there are fears that other networks may operate in other European countries.

“This struggle will never end,” the Czech official added.

Actions of Russia in Europe

This is not the first year that the Russian Federation has engaged in sabotage in Europe. In particular, they are aimed at reducing Ukraine’s support in the bloc.

Previously, the mass media wrote that European investigators are increasingly seeing traces of Russia in acts of probable sabotage at strategic infrastructure facilities, but are unable to take the necessary measures. At the same time, it is becoming increasingly difficult to predict potential attacks by Moscow. In recent years, the Kremlin has increasingly resorted to the “assistance” of civilian and commercial vessels for inspection and possible attack on critical infrastructure facilities.

Bloomberg previously wrote that behind a series of increasingly obvious, frequent and coordinated incidents across Europe, the Russian military intelligence agency, the GRU, is most likely behind it.

(C)UNIAN 2024