The Czech government has added the operators of the Voice of Europe website to the list of national sanctions against Russia, as it is part of a Russian influence operation aimed at questioning the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, the newspaper Denník N, the Austrian newspaper Der Standard, and the German media Spiegel write about it.
In the Czech Republic, it was found that the influence of the "Voice of Europe" media extends beyond the borders of their country. In particular, this site was used to covertly fund pro-Kremlin candidates for the June 2024 European elections. There is information that Hungarian, German, Belgian, French, Dutch and Polish politicians received money from Russia.
What is the "Voice of Europe" media and who is behind it
The Prague news portal "Voice of Europe" disseminated narratives aimed at persuading the European Union to stop aid to Ukraine. The Czech Security Information Service (BIS) found that a pro-Russian propaganda network was conducting activities that "have serious consequences for the security of the Czech Republic and the EU." "Voice of Europe" campaigned against the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine.
The operator of the website voiceofeurope.com, which is also available in German, is registered in Prague. Media is active on social networks such as Facebook and X, where he has over 180,000 followers.
Behind the Voice of Europe media is, in particular, former pro-Russian Peopleʼs Deputy Viktor Medvedchuk and his propagandist partner Artem Marchevskyi, who are suspected of high treason, and against whomthe Czech Republic has imposed sanctions. According to Spiegel, Medvechuk used "Voice of Europe" in several EU countries to "provide secret financial support to elected candidates in the elections to the European Parliament" and to "support propaganda activities" against Ukraine.
Who was paid by "Voice of Europe"
Some European politicians worked with the news site "Voice of Europe" and received Russian money for it, which in certain cases covered the costs of their campaigns in the elections to the European Parliament. The media published the appeals of these politicians to the EU to stop aid to Ukraine.
Money was given to politicians either in cash during face-to-face meetings in Prague, or transferred via cryptocurrency. A six-figure sum in euros was spent on this and the website itself.
Spiegel added that politicians from the far-right and pro-Russian Alternative for Germany (Alternative for Germany) party regularly appeared on Voice of Europe. They actively covered, for example, farmersʼ protests against the governments of Germany and Poland or actions against migration.
"Voice of Europe" published an interview with the main candidate of AdN in the elections to the European Parliament Maximilian Krakh, who claimed the alleged involvement of the USA in the undermining of the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines. Russian propagandists will spread the same narratives. In a comment for Spiegel, Krach stated that he did not receive any money from "Voice of Europe".