Russia planned to present Medvedchuk as "head of government in exile". He was supposed to campaign for "peace talks" with Russian Federation, - Washington Post
Russian propagandists planned to present the traitor Viktor Medvedchuk as a "head of government in exile", instead of "illegitimate Zelenskyy". He is supposed to promote "peace talks" with Russia to end the war.
According to Censor.NET, the Washington Post reports this with reference to representatives of European intelligence.
It is noted that the Russian propaganda campaign, called "Other Ukraine" ("Druha Ukraina"), was overseen by the First Deputy Chief of Staff of the Russian Presidential Administration, Sergei Kiriyenko. It was aimed at strengthening support for Medvedchuk in Ukraine and positioning him among European public figures as a viable replacement for President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who would promote peace talks "as an alternative to a possible nuclear war".
Among other things, Russian propagandists tried to create "an organisation that could be involved after Russia demonstrates the illegitimacy of the Zelenskyy regime and negotiate an end to the war from a position of strength".
According to the newspaper, the operation was linked to a recently exposed pro-Russian network of influence on European politicians, which was disguised as a new media outlet called Voice of Europe.
According to WP, Kremlin political strategists Ilya Gambashidze and Nikolai Tupikin, who are both under US sanctions, were brought in to help launch the project. It involved the promotion of interviews with Medvedchuk and his Other Ukraine organisation through social media, YouTube, and appearances in Western media.
"Voice of Europe was described as a "news resource" headed by Medvedchuk's associate Artem Marchevsky. In July, its general management was taken over by Renat Kuzmin, who, according to documents, worked closely with the fifth service of the Russian Federal Security Service.
According to the newspaper, the organisation was used to transfer hundreds of thousands of euros to dozens of far-right politicians in more than five countries to spread Kremlin propaganda in Western media. The aim was to sow division in Europe and strengthen the position of pro-Russian candidates in the European Parliament elections. And the site's status as a news organisation was created to provide cover to make it "easier to approach politicians" under the guise of interviews about Ukraine, anti-globalisation, etc.
Michal Kudelka, the Czech Republic's head of internal security, said that the Voice of Europe operation was an attempt to get more pro-Russian MEPs into the European Parliament. And after the elections, "there was a plan for classic espionage" on behalf of Russia.
As WP notes, security services in Europe are still investigating the role of dozens of far-right politicians in the Voice of Europe network, including those from France, Belgium and the Netherlands, as well as a number of members of the German AfD.
In late May, at the request of the Czech Republic, the European Union imposed sanctions against former MP and traitor Viktor Medvedchuk, as well as Ukrainian-born propagandist Artem Marchevsky and the Russian Internet portal Voice of Europe.
