BIS exposed the Russian network. Its agents wanted to influence political processes in the EU from Prague, Fiala announced

Security Information Service (BIS) on the X network https://twitter.com/biscz/status/1772975617505394934, that her action revealed how Russia exerts influence on the territory of the EU states and how it tries to influence political processes. “Today, the government of the Czech Republic placed three entities, two natural persons and one legal entity, on the national sanctions list based on information obtained by the Security Information Service,” BIS added.

Counter-intelligence managed to uncover and map the activities of an influential network financed by Russia, which operated on the territory of the Czech Republic. “The BIS event revealed how Russia exerts an influence on the territory of the European Union states and how it tries to influence political processes in our countries,” explains BIS.

The counterintelligence announcement is related to the newly announced sanctioned persons who appeared on the Czech Republic’s sanctions list, writes daily N. The persons newly included on the national sanctions list sought to gain influence in the countries of the European Union and subsequently in the European Parliament (EP). The state has no information that this would concern Czech politicians and citizens, Prime Minister Petr Fiala (ODS) said after the government meeting.

Politician and businessman Viktor Medvedčuk, politician Arťom Marčevskij and the company Voice of Europe are newly on the Czech sanctions list. The newspaper N reported that the BIS uncovered a network organized by Russia that tried to influence the elections to the European Parliament in various European countries. According to counterintelligence, cash was handed over to anti-establishment politicians from Germany in Prague, other money went to the operation of a pro-Russian news website, the server wrote.

The Russians tried to influence the European Parliament elections in Germany, France and Belgium from Prague. “With this step, we decided to hit a network of influence that would have a serious impact on the security of the Czech Republic,” announced Fiala, thanking the counterintelligence for the important work.

According to a source in Deník N close to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, politicians from six EU states, namely Germany, France, Poland, Belgium, the Netherlands and Hungary, received the money. The newspaper N reported that the case concerns, among other things, the German Alternative for Germany (AfD). “We have no information that it concerns Czech politicians or Czech citizens. But we have information that the goal was to operate in EU countries and gain influence in the EP,” said Fiala.

According to the rationale for inclusion on the sanctions list before 2022, Medvedchuk was an influential politician and oligarch who was a key proponent of pro-Russian policy in Ukraine. He lost his Ukrainian citizenship in 2022. “He has long maintained close personal relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, from which he benefits,” the document says. From Russian territory, Medvedchuk conducts political and propaganda activities directed against the territorial integrity, independence, sovereignty, stability and security of Ukraine, according to the entry in the sanctions list.

According to the rationale, Medvedčuk also secretly finances Voice of Europe remotely and instructs Marčevský, who effectively runs the company. According to the document, he uses Marčevský to finance cooperation with journalists and to covertly support selected individuals from among the candidates in the EP elections. “And this for the purpose of supporting the foreign policy interests of the Russian Federation and political and propaganda activities directed against the territorial integrity, independence, sovereignty, stability and security of Ukraine,” the document states.

Voice of Europe then serves to influence and actively spread disinformation and propaganda directed against the territorial integrity, independence, sovereignty, stability and security of Ukraine. It spreads on Facebook, the X network and other platforms, but also through panel discussions and other events, including international participation, and is on the sanctions list.