Anti-Ukraine and pro-Russia propaganda has permeated not just the U.S. Republican Party. Russia is also allegedly buying politicians in European nation states. Like the U.S., Europe has been a major ally of Ukraine as it fends off the Russian invasion, now entering its third year.
CNN calls these acts “meddling.” Meddling is a form of impropriety. However, paying elected representatives to regurgitate Russian talking points is illegal. Connotatively, either “tampering” or “intervening” would be more aligned with the gravity of the action.
Russian propaganda is “long-term political warfare.” It has “grown to include deep fakes, doctored news broadcast footage and fake websites to disorient and outrage European voters.”
Last year, the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project revealed that politicians in Germany, Italy, and Cyprus were paid by Russian operatives to introduce legislation literally written by Russian intelligence officers. The OCCRP also uncovered examples of parliamentary staff members, party activists, and members of think tanks publishing articles in European press outlets under their name, while the articles were actually written by Russian handlers. One activist from Austria even complained to his handler about the quality of one article that had been coordinated with the Kremlin. “I am not a robot,” he said. Nevertheless, he published the article under his name in a Swiss media outlet.
It’s not just that the average citizen is unlikely to be able to deduce truth from fabrication. (Doubt me? Go look at all the fake eclipse images on Facebook.) British press ran a doctored photo from the monarchy last month.Moreover, the major tech platforms are incredibly laissez-faire: Google search and Genius; Meta (Facebook, Instagram, Threads); Microsoft Bing and CoPilot; and Twitter/X.
Enter Belgium
Brussels is the de facto capitol of the European Union, hosting the EU Parliament headquarters and other agencies. In Hungary, Viktor Orban owes his position to “Vladimir Putin’s patronage.”
According to Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, Belgium intelligence operations have verified the “existence of a pro-Russian interference network with activities in several European countries.” Those activities are “subject to prosecution” in Belgium.
Last month, Czech authorities froze the assets of Viktor Medvedchuk, “a high-profile, pro-Russian Ukrainian politician,” and Artem Marchevskyi, “a Ukrainian-Israeli citizen.” Marchevskyi allegedly operated the pro-Russian website at the center of the “influence operation,” the Voice of Europe.
“We cracked down on a Russian influence operation that was directed by Viktor Medvedchuk directly from Russia,” Jan Lipavsky, the Czech foreign minister, said in a statement. “The aim was to spread pro-Russian narratives undermining Ukraine’s sovereignty while infiltrating the European Parliament.” …
Citing unnamed intelligence sources, the Czech news media reported that politicians from Germany, France, Poland, Belgium, the Netherlands and Hungary had been paid by the Voice of Europe to promote Russian interests in the European Parliament…
According to Der Spiegel, the prominent German news outlet, one of the politicians who received financial compensation was Petr Bystron, a German lawmaker from the far-right Alternative for Germany party.
Czech media have reported that politicians from Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Poland and the Netherlands are implicated.
Enter Congress
Last week, Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said: “I think Russian propaganda has made its way into the United States, unfortunately, and it’s infected a good chunk of my party’s base.”
Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH), chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said: “We see directly coming from Russia attempts to mask communications that are anti-Ukraine and pro-Russia messages, some of which we even hear being uttered on the House floor.”
Representative Ken Buck didn’t hesitate to point a finger at Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, saying on Monday, “Moscow Marjorie is focused now on this Ukraine issue and getting her talking points from the Kremlin and making sure that she is popular and she is getting a lot of coverage.”
They’re saying aloud what they once whispered behind closed doors. Back in 2016, when he was a Republican congressman but not yet House speaker, Kevin McCarthy said in a private meeting with GOP leaders, “There’s two people, I think, Putin pays: [Representative Dana] Rohrabacher and Trump … swear to God.” (Rohrabacher, once dubbed “Putin’s favorite congressman,” lost his seat in 2018.)
A year of elections
In about two months, voters in the EU will elect 720 European Parliament members.
In about seven months, voters in the US will elect a president, 435 House of Representative members, and 35 Senate members (two are special elections).
Russia “interfered” with the 2016 election in the US as well as Great Britain and Western Europe. David Shimer, author of “Rigged: America, Russia and 100 Years of Covert Electoral Interference,” asserts :
The KGB interfered in our 1960, 1968, 1976 and 1984 elections. Russia interfered in our 2016 elections. This is a long running story and that story will continue regardless of whether Donald Trump is active in American politics…
As I wrote in 2019, “The challenge of attractive misinformation is centuries old. Cable news, Twitter et al simply accelerate the speed.”
Think before sharing. Share no image or video without original, credible provenance. Gently correct your friends.
As Joyce Vance writes each day, “We’re in this together.”
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Known for gnawing at complex questions like a terrier with a bone. Digital evangelist, writer, teacher. Transplanted Southerner; teach newbies to ride motorcycles. @kegill (Twitter and Mastodon.social); wiredpen.com