Kremlin is paying MEPs to interfere in upcoming European elections, rumors say

Politico reports this.

On March 27, the Czech government imposed sanctions on the Voice of Europe news site, claiming that it is part of a pro-Russian operation to influence Ukraine.

The next day, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said that Russia had approached MEPs and paid them to promote Russian propaganda.

In response, the president of the liberal group Renew, Valérie Hayer, called for an urgent debate in the European Parliament in a letter to its president, Roberta Metsola.

The debate on this issue is to take place at the next plenary session, on April 10 in Brussels. 

“If sitting MEPs or candidates in the upcoming European elections have taken money from or been corrupted by the Russian Government or their proxies, they must be exposed,” Hayer wrote in the letter.

Dutch MEP Bas Eickhout also called for an investigation into candidates running for the European Parliament.

“The European elections are in 10 weeks’ time. We need to be sure that none of the candidates for these elections are being paid by Russians,” he said in a statement. 

• On March 26, the Finnish Security Service assessed the risk of Russian espionage and influence operations as "elevated," even though Russia's ability to conduct intelligence operations had deteriorated.