Pro-Russia network spreading disinformation through Voice-of-Europe.eu exposed in the EU

The intelligence services of several EU countries, including Poland and the Czech Republic, have exposed a Kremlin-funded spy network that used the website Voice-of-Europe.eu to spread disinformation, reported the Special Services Minister-Coordinator spokesman Jacek Dobrzynski to Radio Liberty on March 28.

According to him, the Russian agents' task was to popularize Russia's policies in Europe and harm the EU countries and structures primarily by spreading disinformation – in particular, about Russia's war on Ukraine. Their objectives included smearing Ukraine.

Voice-of-Europe.eu posted pro-Russian articles, interviews and comments on international affairs.

"This portal was created to act to Russia's benefit, primarily to spread disinformation, to weaken Poland's position in the European Union, to weaken European structures," said Jacek Dobrzynski.

The disinformation was supposed to influence the elections to the European Parliament, among other things.

According to Poland's Internal Security Agency, one of the persons of interest in the investigation is a Polish citizen who was close to the Polish and European political circles. Among other things, he acted on Russia's orders in the European Parliament, performing tasks such as spreading propaganda, disinformation, and carrying out political provocations.

The suspects' houses and offices in Warsaw and Tychy were searched; the police siezed documents, data storage devices and money (€50,000 and $38,000).

Previously, the Czech Republic imposed sanctions on the ex-deputy and treason suspect Victor Medvedchuk, as well as his confidante Artem Marchevsky and Voice of Europe, a company registered in the Czech Republic. The sanctions are designed to hit the pro-Russia network that tried to start an influence operation in the Czech Republic.

Germany, Poland and France intend to combat the disinformation and propaganda spread by Russia in the cyberspace together.

The French agency VIGINUM, which fights foreign influence, reported uncovering a Russian special operation called Portal Kombat, which included a network of Russian websites that spread pro-Kremlin propaganda about the Ukraine war in the West.