On Wednesday, April 10, 2024, 09:15 -12:30, the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism (ICCT) will host the launch of the ICCT Press edited volume “Russia and the Far-Right: Insights from Ten European Countries." The meeting will be a closed-door, in-person event in Brussels.
The recent Czech Security Information Service’s investigation of an alleged Russia-sponsored operation to funnel money to anti-establishment politicians in an attempt to influence the 2024 European Parliament elections is a worrying reminder of Moscow’s ambition to destabilise Europe or the broader West. Throughout the last year, the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism, ICCT, and a group of distinguished experts have been monitoring such Russian actions in relation to the European far-right political forces. The book, published by ICCT Press, covers Russia’s influence of the far-right in Austria, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Serbia, Slovakia and Sweden while zooming in on two case studies per country – one non-violent and the other violent in nature. It testifies to Russia’s growing infiltration of the far-right milieu in Europe, which is used for the purposes of Moscow’s “political warfare” waged on the broader West.
The book includes chapters by some of Europe's best-known experts on far-right extremism and will act as an ultimate guide on how this milieu is influenced, directed, infiltrated or led by Moscow. Given the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, this is an extremely poignant issue which is of interest to decision-makers on both sides of the Atlantic.
The event will feature an introduction from Thomas Renard, ICCT’s Director and opening remarks by Bartjan Wegter, EU Counter-Terrorism Coordinator (EU CTC). The remarks will be followed by two dynamic panels with the book's contributors moderated by Kacper Rekawek, ICCT’s Senior Research Fellow and Programme Lead for the Current and Emerging Threats Programme, and Anne Craanen, ICCT’s Research Fellow for the Current and Emerging Threats Programme.
