The Council of the EU suspended the broadcasting of four more media on the territory of the European Union, which spread Russian propaganda and support Russiaʼs war against Ukraine. Itʼs about Voice of Europe, RIA Novosti, Izvestia and Rossiyskaya Gazeta.
This is stated in the message of the Council of the EU.
The institution notes that the mentioned media are under permanent direct or indirect control of the leadership of the Russian Federation and play an important role in supporting the war against Ukraine and destabilizing the situation in neighboring countries.
However, in accordance with the Charter of the European Union on Fundamental Rights, although the broadcasting of the mentioned media has been suspended, their employees will be able to work on the territory of the European Union and, for example, give interviews.
The Council of the EU noted that Russia systematically manipulates the media and information, intervenes and grossly distorts the facts in order to justify and support a full-scale war against Ukraine, as well as to increase the destabilization of neighboring countries and the European Union. Russia has repeatedly directed propaganda and manipulation of facts against Ukraine and the Ukrainian authorities, as well as against European political parties, especially during election periods.
In addition, Russian propaganda was directed against civil society, asylum seekers, Russian ethnic minorities, gender minorities, and the functioning of democratic institutions in the EU and its member states.
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 personal 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.