Deník N and Spiegel: BIS pointed to a German politician with Czech roots
The Security Information Service (Bezpečnostní informační služba, BIS) alerted the Czech government and foreign partners that the Russian influence network operating through Prague was attempting to influence the upcoming European Parliament elections. This included making payments to some anti-establishment politicians. Deník N and the German weekly Der Spiegel have confirmed from four sources that the Czech counterintelligence has sent the name of a member of the far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD), Petr Bystroň, to Berlin in this context. It is Bystroň whom the BIS – as it informed the German secret services – suspects of receiving money from the pro-Russian network.
The German politician of Czech origin refused to give specific answers to questions from Deník N.
„I won’t support the Czech Deník N, it’s not journalism. You are nice, everything is fine, you don’t bother me, but I am just telling you in a completely friendly way that I don’t consider you journalists, and I won’t provide you with any information,“ he responded when asked whether he had received money from the pro-Russian network.
When asked repeatedly whether he could confirm or deny the receipt of the money, he stated: „The way you asked the question is completely out of line, completely out of line, and that’s why I’m saying I’m not going to tell you anything.“
When asked by the German weekly Spiegel, Bystroň responded
