Czech officials say Dutch politicians were offered cash to back Russian propaganda

An investigation by Czech intelligence service BIS uncovered payouts by a website based in Prague to politicians in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France, Hungary and Poland. The website, Voice of Europe, was accused of spending hundreds of thousands of euros in 2023 to get politicians and opinion makers in those countries to spread Russian propaganda points. Dutch far-right political leader Thierry Baudet, who threatened violence in Parliament when questioned over funding sources for his Forum voor Democratie (FvD) party, declined to show up in person for a meeting on Thursday to discuss his outbursts.

The Czech investigation announced on Wednesday did not specifically identify any politicians suspected of accepting money from Voice of Europe. The website promotes pro-Russian news and viewpoints in more than a dozen languages, including English and Dutch. Baudet has been frequently featured by the media outlet, and was often quoted in their articles, especially last year.

The Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs simultaneously added Voice of Europe, Viktor Medvedchuk and Artem Pavlovich Marchevskyi to its national sanctions list because of the investigation. “This decision is in the interest of the security of the Czech Republic, and also contributes to the protection of democracy in the upcoming European Parliament elections,” the ministry said.

Medvedchuk is a former Ukrainian who counts Russian President Vladimir Putin among his friends. The pro-Kremlin oligarch was surrendered by Ukraine in a prisoner swap with Russia in 2022. He was accused by Czech officials of secretly funding an operation to use the website to influence the upcoming election. This included a plot to finance several politicians, the Czech government alleged.

Marchevskyi, a Ukrainian-Israeli, ran the website according to Medvedchuk's instructions, the Czech ministry claimed. Their ultimate aim was to destabilize Europe, and "to violate the territorial integrity, sovereignty and freedom of Ukraine."

Voice of Europe spotlights many far-right, nationalist Eurosceptic politicians, including Marcel de Graaff, a Member of European Parliament representing FvD. Other MEPs have recently grown more concerned about his rhetoric and attempts to promote Russian propaganda. They called for an investigation to determine if he is colluding with Russia, and for the European Parliament to look into Russia's influence in the legislative body.

Many Dutch parliamentarians reacted with concern on social media on Thursday in the wake of the report, including the two with whom Baudet appeared to threaten on Wednesday in the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of Parliament. When Baudet repeatedly pressed the notion of a referendum where Dutch citizens could vote on the Netherlands remaining or leaving the European Union, D66 faction leader Jan Paternotte said Baudet was parroting Russian talking points.

Paternotte and GroenLinks-PvdA MP Jesse Klaver said they wanted to know if FvD, its affiliated organizations, or Baudet himself had ever accepted Russian money, ant the nature of any bitcoin donations the party received. Paternotte said during the debate that Baudet's positions, "always correspond exactly with those of the Kremlin." Klaver raised concern that parliamentarians frequently receive confidential briefings, including on issues that affect Russia, like updates regarding NATO.

Regarding Paternotte, Baudet said in any other scenario he would have punched the person who made such allegations. "We are accused of being agents of Russia. I find it disgusting," he added. He repeated the threat when confronted after the debate by GroenLinks-PvdA MP Jesse Klaver.

On Thursday, Klaver wrote about the Czech investigation on social media. "These are very worrying messages. Especially since it also seems to concern Dutch politicians," he stated. "This is a direct threat to our national security."

"Baudet's statements in and outside the debate yesterday are complete madness," said Paternotte on Thursday. "And this morning's news makes one thing clear: we must ask further questions about foreign influence, especially with a party that continuously ignores agreements on integrity and transparency."

Geert Wilders, who leads the far-right PVV party, said on X that it was "Totally unacceptable" that Dutch politicians may have accepted Voice of Europe money. "If this is true, then I want to know who are they? I want to hear the story. Which parties are involved?" he said in the Tweede Kamer on Thursday.

He has in the past stymied attempts to improve transparency related to political donations, particularly donations from organizations abroad. Wilders said on Parliament that he felt duped, because he has spoken in support of Voice of Europe's content before. "But fortunately we have never received a cent from anyone, directly or indirectly, from that country, not even via a website. But it is bad. Because We have European elections soon and if they are being influenced by large sums of money, that is very bad."

Tweede Kamer chair Martin Bosma invited Baudet to discuss the threat made to Klaver during a one-on-one meeting. Baudet declined to attend, but did speak with Bosma over the phone. “He stated that he had another appointment and that he could not be here today,” Bosma was quoted by ANP as saying. “I think that in itself is a shame.”

Bosma said Baudet said he was sorry for what he said to Klaver when he departed the Tweede Kamer debate. "He said he allowed himself to get carried away by the fierceness of the debate," Bosma added.

Despite Bosma's disappointment, Baudet lashed out at media outlets for referring to him as not showing up for the meeting. Baudet said, "I immediately informed Martin last night that I was unable to attend at the proposed time due to kickboxing training. We called then and again this morning - I offered to come by later today, but the conversation went in such a way that it turned out not to be necessary," Baudet wrote on social media.