Russian funding supported far-right Dutch politician’s campaign against Ukraine agreement
In April 2020, media reports suggested that far-right Dutch politician Thierry Baudet received funding from Russia. Baudet led a campaign against the Netherlands’ potential support of an association agreement with Ukraine in 2016. Baudet’s methods included a think tank which criticized the proposal, and a referendum campaign that thwarted the deal. The think-tank since morphed into a political party, and Baudet became a member of the Dutch parliament who has regularly espoused pro-Russian views. The 2016 WhatsApp messages in which Baudet references payments involved Vladimir Kornilov, who reportedly worked for Russian president Vladimir Putin.