Petr Bystron, of far-Right AfD party, allegedly given €20,000 by pro-Kremlin broadcaster

A German politician has been filmed taking large sums of cash from a Kremlin-supporting broadcaster, Czech intelligence has claimed.

Petr Bystron, who is standing for Alternative for Germany (AfD) at European parliamentary elections in June, allegedly received €20,000 (£17,000) in cash from the manager of a Russian propaganda network while sitting in a parked car, recordings indicate.

Mr Bystron, who also sits on the Bundestag’s foreign affairs committee, has previously denied allegations of taking Russian money as a “defamation campaign”.

The Security Information Service (BIS), the Czech Republic’s domestic intelligence agency, now says Mr Bystron met with Artem Marchevsky, who allegedly managed a Kremlin-backed propaganda front called Voice of Europe, at least three times in the past six months.

  • GregorGizehEnglish
    124·
    8 months ago

    I agree with the sentiment, but objectively democracy is a terrible form of government. We just haven’t come up with anything better, and the other options are even worse.

    • Regrettable_incident@lemmy.worldEnglish
      20·
      8 months ago

      The problem with democracy is that to really work it requires an informed electorate, and a lot of the information the electorate get is propaganda. But like you say, I don’t have a better alternative to offer.

      • GregorGizehEnglish
        121·
        8 months ago

        Pretty much this. The average voter is by all objective measures not qualified to decide on political matters, its just that not having every mouthbreather have a voice has always led to autocracy in every single attempt made.

      • oce 🐆@jlai.luEnglish
        6·
        8 months ago

        Let’s genetically engineer Renaissance style perfect humanist dictators.