Belgian Authorities Investigate Suspected Russian Interference in European Parliament Ahead of EU Elections
Belgium's federal prosecutor's office announced on Wednesday, May 29, that searches were conducted at the home and office of an employee of the European Parliament in Brussels, as well as the suspect's office in Strasbourg, where the EU Parliament's headquarters are located. The raids were carried out in collaboration with the EU's judicial cooperation agency Eurojust and French judicial authorities. The investigation, initiated by Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo last month, revealed the presence of a network aiming to undermine support for Ukraine through Russian propaganda. The searches are linked to allegations of Russian interference, passive corruption, and membership in a criminal organization, with suspicions that Members of the European Parliament were approached and bribed to promote Russian propaganda via the Voice of Europe news website. The EU recently banned Voice of Europe and three other Russian media outlets, accusing them of being Kremlin-controlled and targeting European political parties during election periods. De Croo emphasized that the probe showed MEPs were offered money to support Russian narratives to influence the EU Parliament elections. Brussels has condemned Moscow's objectives, which seek to elect pro-Russian candidates to the European Parliament and propagate a pro-Russian narrative within the institution. In response to Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, EU nations have provided financial aid, weapons, and ammunition to Kyiv, as well as imposed sanctions on Russian officials, banks, companies, and the energy sector.
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