Belgium investigates Russian interference in EU elections

• Belgium is investigating pro-Russian networks attempting to influence EU Parliament elections.
• Prime Minister Alexander de Croo claims Moscow aims to bring more pro-Russian candidates into the European Parliament.
• Belgian intelligence confirmed spy networks operating in Belgium and several other European countries.

Less than two months before European voters in 27 countries participate in EU Parliament elections, Belgium announces it is investigating pro-Russian networks attempting to influence the vote.

Prime Minister Alexander de Croo stated that Moscow aimed to bring more pro-Russian candidates into the European Parliament.

“Weakened support for Ukraine serves Russia on the battlefield,” he said.

Recently, the Czech government announced that it had dismantled a pro-Kremlin network. Intelligence agencies in both Prague and Poland revealed that the Voice of Europe news website had been funded by Moscow to disseminate propaganda and channel funds to sympathetic European politicians. The website has not responded to the allegations.

Prime Minister Alexander de Croo stated that Belgian intelligence had confirmed spy networks operating in Belgium and several other European countries, referring to the Czech revelations.

“The investigation shows that Moscow has approached European members of parliament, [and] has also paid European members of parliament to promote a Russian agenda here,” the Belgian prime minister said.

He stated that Belgian authorities had initiated a prosecution but did not provide names of anyone suspected of receiving money. He explained that no cash payment had occurred in Belgium itself, although pro-Russian interference was ongoing.

Czech reports have suggested that the Voice of Europe paid politicians from Germany, France, Poland, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Hungary in exchange for making pro-Russian remarks to help influence the 6-9 June elections. Several politicians on the far right in Europe are viewed as sympathetic to Russia.

Earlier this week, a candidate for Germany’s far-right AfD party, Petr Bystron, “vehemently denied” allegations in Czech media that he had received Russian cash.

The Belgian leader stated that Moscow aimed to bring more pro-Russian candidates into the European Parliament. He added that he had been in touch with his Czech counterpart and the heads of the European Commission and European Parliament.

“We cannot allow this type of Russian menace in our midst,” he said, emphasizing that his country had a responsibility to ensure a free and safe vote during the European Parliament elections.

The Belgian capital Brussels houses both the EU’s executive, the European Commission, and one of the homes of the Parliament.

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala has warned that actions of the pro-Russian network risk seriously impacting both Czech and EU security. His government has imposed sanctions on both the Voice of Europe website and two pro-Russian Ukrainians.

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