A POLITICO review of the 50 videos on Voice of Europe’s YouTube channel revealed 16 MEPs had engaged with the outlet.

“If it is a war of civilization, well, I hope the civilization in Ukraine will lose,” said Marcel de Graaff, a Dutch far-right lawmaker, from a TV studio just inside the European Parliament last October.

Another far-right politician jumped in.

“Ukraine has to become a demilitarized buffer zone,” argued Maximilian Krah, a far-right politician from Germany, addressing the other four participants in the studio. The debate was organized by Voice of Europe, an outlet which Czech and Belgian authorities said in March was a front for Russian propaganda and disinformation.

  • The Snark Urge@lemmy.world
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    8 months ago

    I suppose I owe some thanks to Russia funding far right politicians across Europe; I have slightly less to be embarrassed for, as an American abroad.

    • rayyy@lemmy.world
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      8 months ago

      Make no mistake, Mr KBG/FSB Putin has been hard at work perfecting his psyops programs since it is much less costly and an attack can be launched without the victim ever knowing it. The US has been caught totally defenseless. Now Putin is preparing for the November election coup de grâce and total victory.

      • The Snark Urge@lemmy.world
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        8 months ago

        The Russians have always been better than us at that side of intelligence operations. We’re historically better codebreakers, which is more of an advantage in a hot war… which is probably why my whole life has looked a lot like losing the cold war.

        I don’t know if there’s anything such as a “total victory” in the cards for Russia, but they’ve definitely made a 21st century world war more likely… Hey, at least Americans are better at that game right? 💀

      • sepulcher@lemmy.ca
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        8 months ago

        The US has been caught totally defenseless.

        To be fair, this isn’t strictly a Russia vs. US (or china) thing.

        Everyone with power has a vested interest in expanding that power through any means necessary. It just so happens that it’s very effective to convince useful idiots on the internet to do one’s bidding.

        “Influencers” are the same way.

    • Ross_audio@lemmy.world
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      8 months ago

      Proportional representation does give a minority voice to these people.

      It’s the cost of fairness and it is useful to demonstrate minority views are disregarded for no reason other than because they’re the minority.

      How’s that FPTP election going? Nice and stable, no extremists likely to overthrow democracy or anything?

      • The Snark Urge@lemmy.world
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        8 months ago

        I did say slightly, I’m not a complete asshole. I’m the guy who rants about FPTP so much that the whole world is tired of hearing about American politics by the way 💩

      • Valmond@lemmy.world
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        8 months ago

        Proportional representation goes sideways when a foreign agent pumps money onto one small political group.

        In europe it’s not legal to just throw money at an election.