The European Union has imposed new sanctions targeting three sprawling clusters of Russian-linked disinformation networks operating in Europe and Africa. The move marks the bloc’s 17th sanctions package against Moscow in response to its 2022 invasion and ongoing war in Ukraine.
While the broader package touches sectors from oil exports to Russia’s covert sabotage operations, this round is also focused on networks spreading propaganda and disinformation.
The first cluster sanctioned is centered on Voice of Europe, a propaganda outlet previously operated out of Prague. Czech authorities dismantled the network in 2024, uncovering a coordinated campaign to influence European politics by amplifying pro-Kremlin messaging.
The platform featured commentary from far-right European politicians—many allegedly paid large sums to publish opinions urging an end to EU financial support for Ukraine. Investigators traced the operation to Viktor Medvedchuk, a former Ukrainian politician now sanctioned by the EU.
Medvedchuk, reportedly managing the network from Moscow, was supported by associates Artem Marchevskyi and Oleg Voloshin, also sanctioned. Several Ukrainian media entities accused of echoing Kremlin narratives were added to the sanctions list.
The second cluster targeted by the EU involves Russia-backed propaganda operations in Africa, often masked as legitimate news or pan-African activism.
Those sanctioned include Viktor Lukovenko, head of the African Initiative news agency, accused of orchestrating Russian-aligned disinformation campaigns; Justin Blaise Tagouh, CEO of International Africa Media, and Mikhaïl Prudnikov, both cited for spreading anti-Western narratives on the continent; Sylvain Afoua, founder of the Black African Defense League, a group disbanded by French authorities in 2021 for inciting hate and violence.
The final cluster involves the cyber infrastructure enabling Russia’s digital influence campaigns, in particular, Stark Industries, a Moldova-based bulletproof hosting company owned by brothers Iurie and Ivan Neculiti.
According to investigative reports, Stark Industries has hosted a wide array of malicious activity, ranging from malware servers to websites linked to Doppelgang, a known Russian disinformation operation. The company also provided infrastructure to fake activist groups involved in DDoS attacks on EU and US institutions.
EU foreign affairs officials called Stark Industries “a key enabler of Russian hybrid warfare,” facilitating hostile information operations while skirting Western regulatory oversight.
