EU sanctions Medvedchuk, Marchevskyi, Voice of Europe
At Czechia's proposal, the EU has sanctioned former Ukrainian politician and pro-Russian oligarch Viktor Medvedchuk, the Czech Foreign Ministry said on May 27.
Two new additions also include Ukrainian-Israeli citizen Artem Marchevskyi and the Voice of Europe site, reportedly used by the two men to spread pro-Russian propaganda in Europe.
"Three entities working for the Kremlin regime have been added to the EU sanctions list at the proposal of Czechia," the Czech Foreign Ministry said on X.
"All restrictions previously imposed by Czechia are now valid in all 27 EU Member States."
The sanctions mean that Medvedchuk and Marchevskyi are prohibited from entering or transiting into EU states. All funds belonging to the two men or Voice of Europe are to be frozen across the bloc.
While Medvedchuk resides in Russia after being exchanged for Ukrainian prisoners of war in 2022, Marchevskyi moved to Czechia after the outbreak of the full-scale war and then to Slovakia after Prague imposed sanctions against him.
Czechia announced in early April that it had uncovered a propaganda network controlled by Medvedchuk that had been spreading pro-Kremlin narratives and paying Russian-friendly politicians in the EU.
The EU Council suspended Voice of Europe and three other outlets recognized as Russian propaganda channels on May 17.
Martin Fornusek
