Belgium says will probe suspected Russian interference in European polls
Al JazeeraApr 12
Belgium Probes Alleged Russian Interference in EU Elections
The Facts
Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo has said that Brussels will investigate possible Russian meddling in the upcoming European Parliament elections.
De Croo's announcement on Friday comes after the country's intelligence service confirmed the existence of alleged "pro-Russian interference networks," which he claimed had been planning to undermine support for Ukraine.
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
The threat of Russian interference in the upcoming EU election is extremely worrying and must be taken seriously by the Belgian government as well as the rest of the EU. Russia is working its hardest to weaken EU support for Ukraine and maliciously serve its interests by tampering with the bloc's democratic process.
Establishment-critical narrative
Russia isn't attempting to meddle in the European Parliament elections, and to suggest otherwise is Western propaganda. There are organic political movements within European countries to scale back on support for Ukraine. The fact that support for Ukraine is wavering and pro-Russia candidates are becoming more popular isn't evidence of Russian interference.
Nerd narrative
There's a 25% chance that Ukraine will join the EU before 2030, according to the Metaculus prediction community.