The EU election|Voice of Europe series

The disclosure shakes the EU before the election: "Putin plays chess"

A new Russian impact campaign shakes Brussels with less than three months to the EU elections, writes Politico. Through the Czech news site Voice of Europe, Russia is suspected to have paid Kremlin -friendly politicians from at least six countries. The scandal is believed to be all the way into the European Parliament.

"Very worrying," says the European Commission's Vice President Vera Jourová.

- This confirms what we have suspected: the Kremlin uses dubious sites that claim to be media and use money to buy a secret influence, says Jourová.

- We can't afford to be a step after Putin and his propaganda army on a chessboard, she continues.

What has come in this so far is probably just the tip of an iceberg, writes the politics site. Today, for example, raids were carried out in Poland.
The President of the European Parliament: "Conscious of the charges-we investigate"

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Top politicians in the German AFD are singled out in the tangle: "Defamation"

Western intelligence agencies suspect that at least one member of Germany's far-right AFD party has received money from Russia through the Prague-based pro-Russian news site Voice of Europe. This is revealed by the Czech newspaper Deník and the German Der Spiegel.

Czech authorities must have alerted their colleagues in Germany about AFD politician Petr Bystron, member of the Bundestag and second on the list before the EU elections.

- This is not journalism. You are nice, everything is fine, you don't bother me, but I'm just telling you in a completely friendly way that I don't consider you a journalist and I won't give you any information, says Bystron to Deník.

When Der Spiegel asks if he has received money, he first answers evasively, but then says that it is "slander". From the central point of view, AFD does not want to comment.

Petr Bystron is the first European politician named in the Voice of Europe scandal. In total, politicians from at least six EU countries are said to have received money.

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Right-wing politicians in Europe receive Russian money via news site

A Russian network finances the Prague-based news site Voice of Europe and through the site they spread Russian disinformation with the goal of destabilizing Europe. Russia has also paid millions of kroner to far-right and populist politicians in Europe through the site, reveals the Czech intelligence service BIS.

The money should have gone to politicians who are "acceptable to Moscow", writes Der Spiegel. In total, hundreds of thousands of euros have been handed over in cash or in the form of cryptocurrency, according to the newspaper's information.

According to the Czech newspaper Deník, the money should have gone to politicians in at least six countries: Germany, France, Poland, Belgium, the Netherlands and Hungary. In some cases, the money covers politicians' election campaigns for the EU elections, according to the newspaper.

- The group's activity also reaches the European Parliament, says Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala, who does not want to elaborate.

If it is true, it is "a scandal of great proportions", not least when the EU elections are only months away, writes Der Spiegel. The newspaper Deník describes it as one of the largest uncovered Russian influence operations in recent years.