Putin looking to sway European elections, says Andrews

Fianna Fáil MEP Barry Andrews has warned of a “growing threat” of Russian interference in the upcoming European Elections.

He stated that Vladimir Putin’s “propaganda” has become “increasingly evident” at the European Parliament.

Research from political scientists shows that Russia launched misinformation campaigns in the 2017 French election and the 2017 and 2019 general elections in the United Kingdom, with long-running accusations that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election in the United States.

“There are mounting concerns about Russia’s growing influence over the current European Parliament. And there is no doubt that Russia is seeking to dramatically increase this influence following the elections in just two months’ time,” Andrews said.

“Tactics include the use of spyware, artificial intelligence, and the direct grooming of election candidates – all aimed at achieving Putin’s goal of influencing decision-making at EU level and undermining our democracy.”

Andrews called out left-wing Irish MEPs Mick Wallace and Clare Daly, claiming they take decisions “straight from the Kremlin’s playbook.”

“When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the European Parliament adopted a resolution condemning Russia. Just 13 out of the 705 MEPs voted against this.  Clare Daly and Mick Wallace were two of them. ”

Andrews noted that Latvian MEP Tatjana Ždanoka is under criminal investigation for Russian interference and has attended several events with Wallace and Daly.

“More recent revelations have linked Clare Daly and Mick Wallace to a Russian spy, who allegedly provided Clare Daly with briefing documents detailing what she should say when speaking about his prosecution.”

“The stark reality is that there is a very real danger to the make-up of the European Parliament after June 7th’s elections and the potential implications for Ireland are serious. ”

Polling data from Europe Elects, a poll aggregator, shows that the far-right grouping is likely to become the third largest grouping in the European parliament following June’s elections.

Controversial EU commissioner Ursula Von Der Leyen announced in recent weeks that the European People’s Party, Fine Gael’s European grouping, would look to make immigration laws in the EU stricter in a transparent bid to win over right-wing voters.

Andrews said “a thriving Ireland is dependent on its membership of a democratic European Union, and we must retain our strong position at the top table of decision-making. ”

“Our economy, our standard of living and the quality of life in our communities all very much depend on this.  With just two months to go until polling day, voters in Ireland and across all 27 EU member states must be careful about how they use their votes.”