Czech Republic “shuts down” Voice of Europe, spread pro-Russia news

Brussels – Blue background and yellow stars, mimicking the European Union’s flag, Prague headquarters and multi-language news bulletins: Voice of Europe, or the voice of Russia in Europe. The intelligence services of the Czech Republic (BIS) have unmasked pro-Russian propaganda actions carried out by an online newspaper, in these hours inaccessible probably because it is blocked. According to the security services, the masthead was run by Viktor Medvedchuk, a former Ukrainian oligarch friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Medvedchuk was immediately placed on the sanctions list by the Czech Republic, as was his closest employee, Artyom Marchevsky.

There is a suspicion that Voice of Europe paid politicians from at least six member states (the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France, Hungary, and Poland) to influence political debate and public opinion. Names of politicians are not known so far;  Czech media do not provide lists, probably due to an ongoing investigation. Suspicion inevitably falls on members of the most eurosceptic and traditionally Russia-sympathetic parties, but all is yet to be proven.

The narrative about the war’s fate is particularly in the crosshairs, with the message that peace is conceivable if Ukraine gives up some of its land, a condition that the European Union and its member states reject.