The Kremlin’s lobby in Europe: Germany and the UK

“The reason, no matter how banal, is the continuous flow of Russian propaganda. Some may think that the information war is just Russian talk shows and fake news. However, this is far from the case,” said Valentyna Bykova, a media expert and analyst at the International Center for Countering Russian Propaganda.

Here is a far from a complete list of what the Kremlin is doing to manipulate the public opinion: All this is a well-established mechanism, managed from a single-center, and provided with virtually unlimited financial resources. Agree, that not many countries can afford to clench their fists so hard.

Germany 

Consider Russia’s allies. For example, in Germany – one of the pillars of the European Union. And from the first days of Russian aggression, this country has been actively involved in all processes: it is part of the “Normandy Four”, proposed the so-called “Steinmeier formula” and so on. The importance of this country, and hence of its public opinion, is indisputable both for Ukraine and for the aggressor-country. So who is the core of the pro-Russian lobby in Germany?

This is the Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamization of the West (PEGIDA) – a German right-wing populist movement founded in December 2014 in Dresden. In addition, PEGIDA activists are known for their Russian flags during the demonstrations. The movement calls for the immediate normalization of relations between Germany and Russia.

There is also the National Democratic Party “Alternative for Germany” – a right-wing conservative and Eurosceptic political party in Germany, founded on 6 February 2013. Today, the AfD is the most active political force in the Bundestag that supports Russia. The party regularly sends so-called “observers” to the elections in Russia, in the occupied territories of Eastern Ukraine, and in Nagorno-Karabakh. This is actively used by Russian propaganda to give the appearance of their legitimacy. In particular, AfD party leaders Alexander Gauland and Jörg Moyten were among the first German politicians to congratulate Putin on his re-election and promise to “make every effort to bring German-Russian relations back to a constructive level. This also means lifting sanctions that are harmful to both sides”. In turn, commenting on Russia’s military operation in Syria, one of the founders of the “Left” Gregor Gisi stressed that the Russians were called for help by the President of Syria Assad, and therefore, in terms of international law, it is more legitimate than the operations of other states.

The Free Democratic Party of Germany (FDP) is a liberal party in Germany, founded on 11 December 1948. It is distinguished by its ambiguous position on Russia. A leading FDP official, Wolfgang Kubicki, has recently been pushing for the lifting of anti-Russian sanctions. Otherwise, the politician believes, the case will return to the realities of the Cold War. In addition, Kubitsky has repeatedly stated that German agriculture is at a disadvantage due to sanctions, and the German industry is forced to leave Russia. The politician is also convinced that Britain is wrong to accuse Russia of poisoning its former agent with a neuro-paralytic substance. He also supports a high-profile project to build the Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline. Russia’s next ally, the Bavarian Economic Union (VBW), is Germany’s largest business association, with more than 130 economic associations and 40 private companies in Bavaria.

The party’s leader, Bertram Brossardt, said that “Russia is an important trading partner for us, and the dialogue should not be interrupted”. Anti-Russian sanctions, in his opinion, “were a mistake: they did not contribute to any political change, but seriously harmed the economy”. The Center for Continental Cooperation in Munich (CCC) is an international non-governmental organization that brings together politicians, journalists, scholars, and public figures from Europe and Eurasia to help create a “common space from Lisbon to Vladivostok” based on strengthening friendship and cooperation between the European Union and the Eurasian Economic Union. The headquarters of the CCC is located in Munich. The declared goals of the CCC are the liberation of Europe from US hegemony in all spheres of public life: military, political, economic, and media. As well as the creation of a continental European common economic, social and cultural space, including Russia, as a basis for guaranteeing security, peace, and prosperity in Europe. The organization has close ties with Moscow, with its head, Yuri Kofner is the head of the Eurasian Movement of Aleksandr Dugin, one of the ideologues of Russian nationalism.  

The UK

“The first ally is the British National Party (BNP), a radical right-wing political party that publicly demonstrates support for Putin’s policies. It is characterized by a rigid party structure. The party’s electorate is mainly represented by the lower middle class, the workers, and the British in need of social assistance. The party’s leader is Nick Griffin, a British politician, former chairman of the British National Party and former member of the European Parliament from the North West of England. He ran as an observer in the 2011 State Duma elections and said that 'the Russian election is much fairer than the UK election,' said Valentyna Bykova, a media expert and analyst at the International Center for Countering Russian Propaganda.

Next is the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP), a British political party that demands the country’s withdrawal from the European Union and is conservative. Many members openly express their admiration for Putin and their support for his actions in Syria.

Nigel Farage is the party leader from 2010 to 2015, a member of the European Parliament, a regular guest of the Russian media. In particular, in 2015 he called on the Dutch to vote in a referendum against the ratification of the Association Agreement between the European Union and Ukraine. In turn, the Bruges Group think tank publishes propaganda materials in accordance with the Kremlin’s policy, for the preparation of which Russia pays for the travel of its employees. For example, in a video of their trip to Russia published by the Bruges Group, the group’s leader, Robert Olds, described the Ukrainian government as a “junta.” And he asked whether the enclave should further “expand its borders to somehow liberate the territory from the Kyiv domination”. Olds also publicly supported Russia’s annexation of Crimea and blamed the West for the “crisis in Ukraine.” Another player on the “Russian field” is The Bow Group – the oldest think tank of the Conservative Party of Great Britain. Its head, Ben Harris, was one of the keynote speakers in Moscow at the International Forum “Large Family and the Future of Mankind.” He supported Russia’s anti-gay laws and condemned the atmosphere of fear created by LGBT people in Britain. Harris’ flight to Moscow was paid for by the St. Andrew the First-Called Foundation, a Swiss charity with close ties to Putin. The Bow Group later published a report calling for the lifting of sanctions against Russia and recently called on the British government to work more closely with Russian intelligence.