A secretive Moscow group cultivated ties with Cypriot politicians and successfully pushed through a motion in Cyprus’s parliament calling for an end to EU sanctions against Russia. Russian-Cypriot businessman Dmitry Kozlov, who developed links with top politicians and even set up a political party in Cyprus, played a key role in these machinations.
Italian far-right politicians and businessmen accepted sponsored trips to Crimea arranged by a Russian influence group, effectively recognizing Moscow’s occupation of the Ukrainian region as legitimate.