The European Parliament opened an investigation into Latvian MEP Tatiana Zdanuka, who is accused of being a Russian spy. Independent Russian research platform The insider It published an investigation on Monday showing that Zhdanuka has been working as an agent for the Russian security service FSB for about twenty years. European Parliament President Roberta Mizzola said she takes the allegations “very seriously.”
The insiderThe company, which conducted the investigation in cooperation with media from Latvia, Estonia and Sweden, was able to seize emails between Zdanuka and her contacts within the FSB. These will be about Ždanoka's work as an MEP and how he aims to stir up pro-Russian sentiment in Latvia. Zhdanuka regularly criticizes violations of the rights of Russians in the Baltic states. In Latvia and Estonia, ethnic Russians make up about a quarter of the population.
Zhdanuka, an independent member of the European Parliament, refused to condemn the Russian attack on Ukraine in March 2022. In Latvia, she is a member of the political party Russian Federation of Latvia, which promotes the rights of ethnic Russians in the country. Under Latvian law, she is not allowed to participate in elections for the national parliament due to her past ties to the Latvian Communist Party.
The Lithuanian Security Service also says it will investigate Zhdanuka's alleged cooperation with the Russian Security Service. Danuka denies these accusations.
Tom Kanters
