Media: Russia financed anti-Ukrainian groups in Poland
Belarusian Alexander Usovsky received 100 000 Euro from Russia in order to finance the activity of anti-Ukrainian groups in Poland. The amount was uncovered by the Ukrainian hacker groups CyberHunta and Cyber Alliance, Gazeta Wyborcza writes.
According to the newspapers’s source, the hackers hacked Usovsky’s email and gained complete access to his personal correspondence with Russian officials and the leaders of Polish nationalist groups.
“This was the first concrete evidence that Russia is conducting an Anti-Ukrainian operation in Poland, and that its allies, as in Western Europe, are right radicals,” the article says.
According to the publication, Usovsky corresponded with the first deputy chairman of the committee of the State Duma for the CIS countries, Konstantin Zatulin. The Belarusian assured him that he could effectively “drive a wedge between Poland and Ukraine”.
Zatulin himself told Gazeta Wyborcza that he had contacted Usovsky, but did not give him money. The publication notes that he may be speaking the truth because one of the emails captured by the hackers shows that since 2014 the Belarusian has received money from the Russian businessman Konstantin Malofeev.
Out of the 100 000 Euro he received, Usovsky spent more than 20 000 on buying a car. From the captured correspondence it is clear that this was one of the conditions for the cooperation with the Russian side.
The rest of the money went towards financing protests by radicals. Several demonstrations were organized in Poland in which about 100 people took part, as well as a press conference.
Usovsky constantly reported back to the Russians about the expenses. From one of these documents it follows that on August 21 2014 he organized 70 people for a protest with the slogan, “Stop Ukrainian aggression in the Donbas,” outside the Ukrainian embassy in Warsaw. The Samooborona party (Self-Defence of the Republic of Poland) put in an application to hold the event.
On September 6 2014 in Warsaw, Rzeszow and Lublin, Usovsky financed a demonstration with the slogan, “Stop the war in Ukraine! Stop the banderovites’ crimes!” The nationalist organizations “Camp of Great Poland” and “World Congress of Kresy” took part in this. The demonstration took place outside the Ukrainian embassy, and also outside the Sejm.
Usovksy also put articles in the press about the protests he organized, and also published a video on Youtube. He has also been active in Hungarian and Slovak territory.
According to Gazeta Wyborcza, Usovsky collaborated with Matteusz Piskorski, who founded the pro-Russian party “Zmiana” (Change), and also received Russian money. They discussed further anti-Ukrainian protests together.
On May 18, 2016 Polish special services arrested Piskorski on suspicion of spying for Russia.