“Matryoshka Dolls of Influence”: How Russia Buys Off European Politicians and Why It Still Works
24 April 18:08
Russia systematically uses corruption as a tool to influence European countries, advancing its interests through financial ties and covert contacts with politicians.
This was stated by Major General (ret.), former Deputy Head of the Security Service of Ukraine Viktor Yagun in an interview for the YouTube channel "Komersant Ukrainian".
According to Yagun, modern Russia is structured as an autocratic system where corruption is a key element of the state’s functioning. This tool is also actively used on the international stage.
“They actively use corruption in their dealings with other countries. We’ve seen this in Germany, Italy, Austria—basically everywhere they’ve gone,” the expert explained.
Yagun described the influence scheme as multi-layered and covert. According to him, a significant portion of European politicians who promote pro-Russian narratives may be linked precisely to financial interests.
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“When you start digging into it, you see connections, connections… And for the most part, it’s not about ideas—it’s about money,” Yagun emphasized.
At the same time, he noted that Russia’s influence is gradually diminishing, particularly due to Europe’s reduced dependence on Russian energy resources. However, Russia will not be able to completely disappear from the European political arena in the near future. Yagun also noted that the Kremlin’s corrupt influence complicates support for Ukraine from its partners.
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