The Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday placed the operators of the Voice of Europe website on its national sanctions list against Russia.
The website is part of a Russian influence operation aimed at calling into question the territorial integrity, sovereignty and freedom of Ukraine, according to the Czech ministry.
Behind it is the oligarch Viktor Medvedchuk, the ministry said, a former Ukrainian deputy who was charged with high treason in Ukraine but was handed over to Russia as part of a prisoner exchange in 2022.
Medvedchuk, who is considered a close friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin, was also personally placed on the sanctions list, the ministry said.
The decision contributes to the protection of democratic processes ahead of the European Parliament elections in June, the Foreign Ministry in Prague said.
The Czech news website Denik N reported, citing sources in the secret services, that cash had also been handed over to politicians via the influence network - including politicians from Germany.
Officially, no further details have been given. The news portal Voice of Europe is available in several languages including English and German.