Russian spymasters paid bribes to German politicians to buy anti-Ukraine statements and pro-Kremlin voting in the European Parliament, a major Prague news platform reported on Wednesday, citing intelligence compiled by the Czech national domestic intelligence agency Bezpečnostní informační služby (BIS).
The major daily Denik N newspaper said that Czech counterintelligence operatives had uncovered a ring of Kremlin agents and local operatives handing over cash to anti-government politicians from at least six European Union member states, in exchange for votes and pro-Russia influencing in the European Parliament.
The Russian hybrid war operation to undermine European resistance to the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine also directed funds to a major pro-Russian news website manufacturing content praising Moscow and faking negative news about Ukraine in “one of the largest exposed Russian influence operations in recent years,” the article said.
In exchange for the illicit bank transfers and cash handovers from Kremlin agents, EU politicians taking the money made speeches in the European parliament containing anti-Ukraine rhetoric, voted in legislatures in support of Russian foreign policy goals, and published statements opposing European support of Ukraine and calling for European concessions to Russia, the article said.
The Denik N article cited a Czech Foreign Ministry source as stating the Kremlin payments “targeted” politicians from Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands and Poland. The report did not identify bribe recipients by name, nor did it offer additional evidence supporting allegations that European Union elected officials received or are receiving Russian bribes.
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The report singled out only one European political group by name – Germany’s far-right political party Alternative for Germany (AfD) – as containing officials receiving Kremlin money illicitly.
According to a March 27 report in the German daily Der Spiegel, the money was either handed over in cash at personal meetings in Prague or transferred using cryptocurrency.
AfD senior official Maximilian Krah told Spiegel he had given two interviews to Voice of Europe but “of course had not received any money for this, neither for myself or the party.”
In Germany’s most recent federal election, in 2021, the AfD lost ground and fell to become the fifth-largest party in the Bundestag. The AfD party platform opposes all German military support to Ukraine and calls for the immediate cancellation of Western economic sanctions on Russia.
The explosive Czech newspaper report of clandestine Russian influence-buying within European democratic institutions coincided with a Wednesday statement by Prime Minister Peter Fiala identifying a Czech news platform called Voice of Europe as financed and operated by Kremlin spies with the mission to undermine European support to Ukrainian defense against Russian invasion.
Citing intelligence from the Czech Security Information Service (BIS), Fiala said the Kremlin financed and is continuing to finance the Prague-based Voice of Europe news site, whose content is almost totally devoted to criticizing Ukraine, praising Russia, and arguing European support to Ukraine is dangerous and wasteful.
At a Tuesday press conference, with BIS head Michal Koudelka standing next to him, President Petr Pavel told reporters BIS operators and analysts have identified Russia as the Czech Republic’s biggest security threat.
Voice of Europe (VoE) content following the Wednesday Denik N article and Fiala’s public charges ignored allegations it was a Kremlin-run hybrid war weapon.
Ukraine-related stories published by the platform in the March 27-28 news cycle included the Polish-Ukrainian spat over grain exports, US opposition to increased Parisian support to Ukraine, Spanish refusal to send troops to Ukraine, promotion of a Slovak politician opposing military aid to Ukraine, EU hesitance to transfer seized Russian assets to Ukraine, Polish opposition to Ukrainian EU membership, and the Ukrainian nationality of a ship captain possibly responsible for a container ship crash into a suspension bridge in Maryland.
Content not concerning Ukraine over the 24-hour window covered failing US infrastructure, 100 percent “foreigner” responsibility for “serious sexual assaults” in Germany, exploitative nurse recruitment by “wealthy nations,” increasing Spanish inflation, minimal German economic growth, mass die-off of butterflies in Holland, EU Commission “censorship” of social media, US Navy “powerlessness” against Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, the failure of US policy in the Israel-Hamas war, farmer street protests in Brussels and Green Party defections to the AfD. Kyiv Post could not confirm all VoE content was accurate.
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Comments (4)
Stay tuned - This should come to the US soon
Russia, a country of 140 million or so, is on a war footing. Despite sanctions, they continue to survive and to produce soldiers and equipment to fight in Ukraine and in other parts of the world. They conduct effective spy and cyber operations against all civilised nations.
When, oh when, is Europe with a population of over 500, million, and the USA with a population of around 360 million, going to get their act together and smash Russia for once and for all? Where is the west’s military footing? Why are we scrabbling around for ammunition, arguing over Taurus, acting disjointedly? Why do we make ourselves look so weak? Are we waiting until it is our cities that are being destroyed before we take positive military action against the thug nation?
Since President Pavel took office, The Czech Republic has really come through as a force behind alerting EU democracies of Russia's threats and also sourcing badly needed military aid for Ukraine due to putinrumps MRGA delays in that nation's weapons flow.
For too long our intelligence services have not properly shared with their taxpayers what they need to know to make informed voting decisions. The Czech's BIS is now providing this badly needed information. Now it's up to German voters to process this information.
Most democracies now have a similar crisis brewing. In Canada our CSIS intelligence agency seems to only disclose foreign meddling in our politics about 2-4 years after impacted elections....how is that supposed to help a voter make a decision? Sometimes the impacted politicians / candidates themselves are not even informed until well after elections. What was the purpose of these intelligence organizations if they don't foster a properly functioning democracy?
Yeah I get it...our intelligence does not want to expose its process / source....etc. So find another way to keep the public informed in a timely manner AND most definitely before elections occur. Have an ally leak it for you from their "sources" if needed. Start getting creative, but definitely keep your voters informed.
Thank you President Pavel and BIS.
@John, Well, it's not Pavels leading role directly, but the fact, that the BIS (Czech intelligence agency) is not afraid to go public with its findings anymore, as Pavel was the head of the NATO military commitee, the 2nd highest post after Stoltenberg..
In order to get this job, he needed to pass very detailed screening, therefore the BIS was not afraid of leaks..
But I agree with you, that our BIS is maybe better run than the other agencies, for example yours..
It is due to the fact, that we are a post-Soviet state, therefore we have a lot of insight in Russias doing and actually not only Russia, but even China, as we are the biggest friends of Taiwan in the EU...
F.e. the secretly run police stations in the EU countries last year were mainly uncovered by BIS - we had 2 of them in Prague as well, thankfully China was forced to close them - our relations are on the bottom anyway...
Besudes these points , Sanctions against Russia have not had much effect due to Russia producing Gold that is expensive now and Russia having the fifth largest reserve of Gold in the world...May peace come sooner than later...Remember that money and petro-dollars Do have influence and a say in political status quo and countries' interests ...Russia has sold some of its Gold to spend on military equipment ...
@Hope, Russia now has less than a year's worth of gold and foreign reserves. By this time next year, they will be completely broke and unable to manipulate the collapse of the Ruble.