One outlet operated from the EU’s own capital while rebroadcasting RT and Sputnik content under a rebranded alias; the other is a Moscow foundation whose executive backs Putin’s war and whose work Lavrov has praised by name
The Council of the EU hit two organisations with sanctions this afternoon, with both now facing asset freezes across all EU member states. The Council acted under its hybrid warfare framework, which targets Russian information manipulation and interference operations, and dates from October 2024. The two targets are Euromore (also known as Euroview Media) and Pravfond, a Moscow-based foundation, which the Council found to have served the Kremlin’s strategy to destabilise EU member states and justified the war in Ukraine.
The situation of Euromore is particularly interesting, given that the platform is registered at Avenue Ariane 5, 1200 Brussels, which is about two kilometres from the European Parliament itself, so, in essence, the company ran a pro-Kremlin media channel from inside the EU’s own institutional district.The Council found that Euromore amplifies Russian narratives for European audiences, regularly questioning the legitimacy of EU institutions, and justifying Russia’s war against Ukraine. Its editorial line tracks almost all Kremlin talking points, including that NATO bears responsibility for the conflict, or that Ukrainian authorities lack legitimacy. Contributors include individuals with documented records of spreading disinformation and conspiracy-based content.
Euromore apparently sensed trouble was coming, as the platform scrubbed its website, leaving only a protest article about Western sanctions on pro-Kremlin media. The site’s URL stayed live for a bit longer, redirecting to a rebranded domain, euroview.media, which continued streaming RT and Sputnik content, although the site now displays a “disconnected by administrator” site. The quick rebrand does not have any legal effect.
Moscow’s Compatriots Machine
Pravfond (the Foundation for the Support and Protection of the Rights of Compatriots Living Abroad) is an entity fully funded by the Russian state, and registered in Moscow in November 2011. It has operated ever since as part of the Kremlin’s “compatriots” policy: cultivating ties with Russian-speaking diaspora communities as a soft power tool and, in practice, as a vehicle for covert influence.
The foundation’s content pushes three core narratives: Ukraine is “nazified”, European countries are systematically “Russophobic”, and Russian-speaking populations in neighbouring states face persecution. Besides the fact that these framings work to legitimize Russia’s aggression, the foundation is also believed to be channeling funds toward agents tied to pro-Kremlin influence networks.
The executive director, Aleksandr Udaltsov, has publicly backed Vladimir Putin and the war, with even Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov personally praising Pravfond’s work combating “xenophobia” and “neo-Nazism.” The Council treats Lavrov’s endorsement as direct evidence of integration, considering that Pravfond operates as a fully embedded node in Russia’s official conflict communication strategy, not as an independent civil society actor.
