DISINFO: The EU invented paranoia about Russian spies as EU elections approach
SUMMARY
Before the EU elections, European countries arrested alleged Russian spies without any real ties to Russia; it's merely paranoia.
A man was arrested in Poland for allegedly planning to assassinate the Ukrainian president, likely a provocation by the Ukrainian secret service. Russia isn't involved.
In Germany, two were arrested for allegedly planning attacks on US and Ukrainian military sites, accused of being 'Russian agents' under the Kremlin's direction.
The Czechs sparked hysteria by accusing many non-systemic European parties of 'receiving money from Russia,' a scenario echoed in Britain.
The 'Russiagate' scandal is becoming more radical, moving beyond accusations of election meddling to include charges of terrorism. The phobia is escalating: anyone advocating for peace with Russia or China risks being labelled a 'spy,' 'saboteur,' or 'accomplice of the enemy."
RESPONSE
This is an attempt to discredit the exposure of Russian clandestine operations in Europe calling it 'hysteria' and relating it to an alleged fear of establishment before the EU elections.
In recent months, security services in several European countries have been busting Russian spies plotting sabotage operations and an assassination on the soil of Member States.
Most recently, German authorities arrested two German-Russian individuals on suspicion of spying for Russia. According to news reports, not only did the two collect intelligence for their Russian handlers, but they were also scouting targets for sabotage operations. Their apparent aim was to undermine military support for Ukraine.
Meanwhile, with the help of Ukrainian security services, Polish authorities arrested an individual in Poland. In addition to collecting information for Russian operatives, the Polish man was involved in an alleged assassination plot against Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
In 2022 in France, a Russian spy was caught red handed; such actions are very difficult to catch, though not unusual. As a result, 44 spies of the network were expelled. In April 2024, an investigation exposed how a husband and wife who were outed as GRU spies aiding bombings and poisonings across Europe.
Transparency Commissioner Jourova said earlier this month: “We have to constantly bear in mind Putin will use disinformation and foreign interference as a weapon to divide Europe. This is also why we have proposed the Defence of Democracy directive to shed more light against the hidden foreign interference.”
Recently, Czechia reintroduced a proposal to curb Schengen travel for Russian diplomats and is seeking support for its proposal and the inclusion of Artyom Marchevsky, Viktor Medvedchuk and the Voice of Europe on the EU sanctions list.
Read related cases such as: Russian origin of the men charged with spying in Germany is the only evidence of Russian state involvement, or The Polish and Ukrainian special services made up the the plot against Zelenskyy, or Russian defector killed in Spain may have been eliminated by Ukrainian services.