Section: European Voice (EU)
Russia’s state news service applies for White House pass
The Russian state-owned news website Sputnik has applied for a White House hard pass and is seeking membership in the White House Foreign Press Group in order to become a part of pool rotations. Sputnik, which Foreign Policy magazine described as the “BuzzFeed of propaganda,” would be part of a rotating group of roughly 22 overseas outlets...
POLITICO Brussels Playbook Plus: Russian disinformation — Gaffes and laughs — Czech mates
EUROPEAN POLITICS OF RUSSIAN DISINFORMATION: Federica Mogherini’s squad working to counter Russian disinformation and propaganda — known as the East StratCom team — has a problem. Unfortunately for Mogherini, it’s her. Activists, analysts, national foreign ministries and political opponents in the...
Marine Le Pen calls for French-Russian unity
French far-right leader Marine Le Pen on Friday called on Russia and France to unite, during a visit to Moscow weeks ahead of the French election. Le Pen said the two countries should work together “to save the world from globalism and Islamic fundamentalism,” Interfax news agency reported, after she visited the lower house of the Russian...
Eurovision allows banned Russian singer to compete via satellite
Russia’s entrant in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest will be allowed to compete despite being banned from Ukraine, which is hosting the event, the AFP reported Thursday. Yuliya Samoilova will be allowed to compete via satellite link, Eurovision chief Jon Ola Sand said, to ensure “that all artists can participate.” The organizers of...
Former Russian lawmaker shot dead in Kiev
Denis Voronenkov, a former Russian MP, was killed in the centre of Kiev on Thursday, police said. The 45-year-old was shot dead by un unidentified man outside a hotel in the Ukrainian capital, the AP reported. His bodyguard was injured in the attack. Voronenkov, a former member of Russia’s Communist Party, moved to Ukraine from...
Nunes claims some Trump transition messages were intercepted
House Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes declared Wednesday that members of Donald Trump’s transition team, possibly including Trump himself, were under inadvertent surveillance following November’s presidential election. The White House and Trump’s allies immediately seized on the statement as vindication of...
Federica Mogherini ‘soft’ on disinformation, critics say
Federica Mogherini’s unit working to counter Russian disinformation and propaganda strategies — known as the East StratCom team — has a problem. Unfortunately for Mogherini, it’s her. Activists, analysts, foreign ministries and political opponents in the European People’s Party have piled pressure...
Billionaire paid Fillon $50,000 for meeting with Putin: report
PARIS — A billionaire Lebanese businessman paid François Fillon $50,000 to organize meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and the chief executive of French oil giant Total, the Canard Enchaîné reported in a story to be published Wednesday. The investigative and satirical weekly said that back in 2015, the French...
Manafort sought for questioning — in DC and Kiev
American and Ukrainian officials are pushing to question President Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort in separate investigations related to his work for a pro-Russian political party in Ukraine once headed by that country’s disgraced former president Viktor Yanukovych. Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.) told...
Hacked information bomb under Germany’s election
BERLIN — In May 2015, a message popped up on every desktop in the German parliament: the computer system was about to shut down. Moments later, screen after screen around the Bundestag turned dark, affecting thousands of lawmakers, officials and staffers. While the outage was brief, it was enough to rattle nerves —...
