Due to the ongoing investigation of Russian meddling in elections in the United States, one after another, there are publications illustrating Moscow’s intervention in the Affairs of other sovereign States, primarily in Europe. So, in the summer of 2016, the German newspaper Die Zeit noted that Moscow is trying to influence the outcome of parliamentary elections in Germany.
“Spring 2017: in Germany, the unfolding campaign for the elections to the Bundestag, in its course interferes with the President of Russia Vladimir Putin. On the background of the conflict between the CDU and the SPD about the proper policy towards Russia, the Kremlin initiated a German-Russian “peace forum”, which States that the possible new President of the United States Hillary Clinton and German Chancellor Angela Merkel want to push Europe to war with Russia. The forum demands to end the world dominance of the United States, joined by ADH, the “left” and part of the SPD,” the simulated situation the author of the article in Die Zeit.
In last month’s edition of The Insider was published, a journalistic investigation on the subject of whether Putin has the dirt on the leader of Hungary Viktor Orban, and in the beginning of this week in this edition of a large analytical material about the ways in which Moscow is trying to establish control over Eastern Europe.
Meanwhile, it may seem that things are “agents of the Kremlin” at the moment are not so. So, in January 2017, the France Prosecutor’s office opened a new criminal case against far-right party the front national whose leader, marine Le Pen repeatedly accused of close ties with Vladimir Putin, she openly spoke out in support of it. As reported by France-Presse, the case was initiated under article “fraud” and concerns the unlawful use of means of the European Parliament.
Another candidate in presidents of France Francois Fillon, speaking for the “new economic partnership with Russia”, periodically called in for questioning during the investigation of possible financial fraud of his wife.
Despite the ongoing investigation and exposure, the Ukrainian military experts believe that Europe is at the moment not able to effectively defend against the Russian threat.
“Now Europe looks completely helpless in the face of threat from Russia”, — expressed his opinion in an interview with the Crimea.The realities of the Deputy Director of the Ukrainian center of researches of army, conversion and disarmament (ciakr) Mikhail Samus.
Experts CEACR for many years maintained contacts with the European partners with regard to national and international security, and come to the conclusion that the West still has not developed adequate means to counter “hybrid warfare.”
“The Kremlin expands its influence in virtually all EU countries, using various methods that are not limited only to propaganda, lies and manipulations. Finance the election campaigns of politicians and entire parties, training of paramilitary groups and the rate of criminals makes Russian influence is a major threat to Western democracies. While Russia no matter what the ideology professed by a party or radical group. Importantly, they strengthen the growing internal contradictions in European countries and in the European Union”, — says Ukrainian analyst.
Mikhail Samus stresses that the main task of the Kremlin is the collapse of the EU, NATO and the provoking of new conflicts in Europe.
“The weakening of the West opens new opportunities for Moscow to assert itself as a superpower that can decide the fate of other Nations. Note that all new statements of the Russian media relate to the need of reformatting the world order on the basis of a “concert of Nations” – Russia, USA and China. The EU in this “concert” is not”, — said Samus.
According to him, the European nation does not demonstrate understanding of the situation.
“Although this “hybrid war” of Russia, at first glance, becoming a popular topic when discussing issues of defense and security in the EU, in fact, the Europeans did not understand the essence of this “hybrid war”. They are trying to find some standard algorithms, schemes that are currently Russia, for example, take Ukraine. At the same time, the “hybridity” approach is not what tools are used and for what purpose. But the goal is the same: identify the weaknesses, vulnerabilities in any sphere of life of the nation and the state, and to beat it is in these weaknesses,” — says Mikhail Samus.
For example, according to him, Poland is inciting anti-Ukrainian sentiment based on historical events, and in Slovakia, pan-Slavic ideology that resonates with the ideas of Eurasianism.
“Somewhere else used anti-immigrant sentiment. The important thing is that on this basis a conflict situation and creates a mobilization reserve for various activities: from provocations and riots before the seizure of administrative buildings and critical infrastructure. Overall, this is very similar to what was carried out by Russian special services in Ukraine to the aggression in 2014. The Ukrainians then did not believe that Russia can begin to kill thousands of people for their own geopolitical ambitions. Unfortunately, Europe still do not understand”, — concluded the expert.
