An actor in Putin’s influential network protests the findings of the BIS, writes to the Chernin Palace

This year, thirty-six-year-old Ukrainian Artyom Pavlovich Marchevskiy has been involved in Ukrainian politics since 2015. He was a member of the pro-Russian party Opposition Platform – For Life, which was banned by the Kyiv authorities after the start of Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine. At that moment Marchevsky left Ukraine and moved to the Czech Republic.

“He was involved in the field of pro-Russian politics in Ukraine and, since 2019, in influencing members of European political parties and the European Parliament, aimed at spreading narratives undermining the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine,” states the justification for why the Czech government listed him at the end on the sanctions list in March.

In the Czech Republic, Marčevskij managed the company Voice of Europe spreading pro-Russian disinformation against Ukraine. Through it, he also financed selected pro-Russian candidates in the European elections. Sanctions for Marchevský mean that his assets and money are frozen in the Czech Republic. As Aktuálně.cz has now found out, he filed a protest against it.

The client disagrees, his lawyer said

“He does not agree with the statement that he should have lobbied for the interests of the Russian Federation or done anything similar. The client told me, I wrote it down, gave it legal form and filed objections,” Marchevský’s lawyer Leonid Kušnarenko told Aktuálně.cz. He filed the protest last month, a source from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed this to the editors.

It is the Černín Palace that will settle Marchevský’s objections. He will prepare an opinion on them, which he will present to the government. He has 30 days from the receipt of the protest to do so. If Fial’s cabinet rejects the objections and as a result of Marchevský’s removal from the sanction list, he can file a lawsuit against the cabinet at the Municipal Court in Prague.

“With regard to the wording of the Sanctions Act, we cannot disclose any information about the mentioned case,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Daniel Drake told Aktuálně.cz. According to the Marchevsky government, the activities violated and threatened the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine. It describes him as a politician, media producer and propagandist.

Marchevský was monitored by the Security Information Service for about a year. As Deník N pointed out, she caught him handing over half a million crowns in cash to Petr Bystroň, a German politician of Czech origin from the radical AfD party. According to the same media, Marchevskij went to Slovakia after the sanctions were imposed, where he received temporary protection.

BIS Chief: We have presented clear evidence

In addition to him, the government added Voice of Europe and Viktor Medvedchuk, a close friend of the Russian ruler Vladimir Putin, who financed the influence campaign, to the sanctions list. On the basis of his instructions, Marchevskij directed the activities of Voice of Europe. After the outbreak of Russian aggression, Medvedchuk was detained by the Ukrainian authorities, who later exchanged him for several prisoners to Russia.

“Voice of Europe’s disinformation narratives are particularly systematically aimed at questioning Ukraine’s defense capabilities and its support from international partners and influencing public opinion with the aim of reducing support for Ukraine and its people,” the sanctions document states.

When the government decided on sanctions on March 27, BIS director Michal Koudelka also participated in the meeting. He later described the outlines of his people’s actions to the House Committee on Security and the BIS Review Committee. “We mapped and described the money flows with absolute precision and presented clear evidence that shows how Russian propaganda works and operates in Europe,” said Koudelka.