On March 27, 2024 the Czech Republic sanctioned the Prague-headquartered news site Voice of Europe for spreading Russian propaganda and for attempting to influence European politics ahead of the European Parliament election. The website allegedly paid right-wing and Euroskeptic politicians in several EU countries—including Germany, France, Poland, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Hungary—to spread anti-Ukraine sentiment and influence the June elections. Pro-Russian Ukrainian oligarch Viktor Medvedchuk was allegedly behind the network. On May 17, 2024, the Council of the European Union announced the suspension of all broadcasting activities by Voice of Europe as well as by three other Russian state-affiliated media companies — RIA Novosti, Izvestia, and Rossiyskaya Gazeta. The EU accused these outlets of conducting information manipulation with regards to the war in Ukraine and of targeting political parties during electoral cycles, Russian ethnic minorities, and gender minorities.