The upcoming 14th package of European Union sanctions against Russia will include the "Voice of Europe" platform, which is covertly financed by Viktor Medvedchuk.
This was said by the Vice President of the European Commission, Vera Yurova, writes Seznam Zpravy.
The Czech government put the company on its national sanctions list at the end of March because, according to Czech intelligence services, the platform was trying to influence European elections.
Yurova does not yet know whether the EU will include Artem Marchevsky and Medvedchuk himself, who manage the platform, on the sanctions list, but she is sure that "Voice of Europe" will be on the list.
What is the "Voice of Europe" media?
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.
According to Spiegel, Medvechuk used "Voice of Europe" in several EU countries to "provide secret financial support to selected 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 on 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.