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EU sanctions Medvedchuk, Marchevskyi, Voice of Europe

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EU sanctions Medvedchuk, Marchevskyi, Voice of Europe
Ukrainian oligarch Viktor Medvedchuk, who was handed over to Russia as part of a prisoner swap, is seen in Kyiv’s Appeal Court during a hearing on May 21, 2021. The lawmaker, who counts Russian dictator Vladimir Putin among his personal friends, said the charges against him were politically motivated and punishment for his stance. (Sergei Supinsky/AFP via Getty Images)

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.

How Czechia busted Russian propaganda network targeting European elections
The Czech government announced on March 27 that it had uncovered a Moscow-financed propaganda network that sought to influence European politics and turn public opinion against aiding Ukraine. Prague named Viktor Medvedchuk, a Kremlin-linked former Ukrainian oligarch, and Artem Marchevskyi, a media…
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Martin Fornusek

Senior News Editor

Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.

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