By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
PRAGUE/WARSAW/AMSTERDAM (Worthy News) – Czech and Polish intelligence services say they have uncovered a Russian network to influence the outcome of the European elections in June, including paying politicians for pro-Kremlin views.
The network operated the popular Voice of Europe news website, based in Prague and closed down by Czech authorities, which relayed pro-Russian information and criticized Western aid to Ukraine, officials said.
Czech intelligence sources said the website paid politicians in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France, Hungary, and Poland.
In response, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala announced that the site, along with Viktor Medvedchuk, a pro-Russian Ukrainian oligarch close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, and his associate Artem Marchevsky, had been placed on the government’s sanctions list.
Marchevsky lived in the Czech Republic since 2022.
“Money from Moscow has been used to pay some political actors who spread Russian propaganda,” added BIS, the Czech intelligence service, before adding that those with “strong pro-Russian views,” including European politicians, were given a platform.
The Polish Internal Security Agency (ABW) announced a day later that they carried out searches, indicating they collaborated with several European intelligence services.
MONEY SEIZED
Almost €48,500 and $36,000 were reportedly seized in two separate raids. More operations were planned.
The operations came as ahead of this Easter weekend, Dutch pro-Russia Forum for Democracy (FvD) party leader Thierry Baudet threatened Dutch parliamentarian Jesse Klaver of the PvdA–GroenLinks, or “GreenLeft–Labour “ party after a parliamentary debate.
Martin Bosma, the chair of the Lower House of Parliament, demanded that Baudet would meet him Thursday for a talk. “I cannot tolerate threats – in the plenary chamber of all places.”
After a debate on an FvD bill, Klaver asked Baudet to submit the annual reports of the Forum voor Democracy Foundation. Baudet replied, “I’m not going to do that. And if you ask again, I’ll punch you in the mouth.”
Baudet commented similarly during the debate, suggesting this was a theoretical possibility.
So far, governments have not mentioned politicians suspected of receiving payouts from Russia through the Voice of Europe website or other channels.
Yet the tensions came while governments in European countries such as the Netherlands were increasingly preparing for a possible war with Russia following its invasion of Ukraine.
Baudet and others have urged governments to slow the rhetoric and prepare Kyiv for peace talks with Moscow. They say Ukraine is fighting a war “it can’t win.”
Copyright 1999-2025 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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