Russia uses Serbian agent to infiltrate EU bodies

Russian intelligence is using a Serbian agent to infiltrate EU institutions and spread pro-Kremlin views on the invasion of Ukraine, according to a briefing by Western intelligence agencies obtained by Politico.

As recently as October 2023, Serbian national Novica Antic – an “active influence agent” who, according to the documents, knowingly worked closely with Russian intelligence – held meetings with European officials in Brussels and, in particular, with members of the European Parliament.

According to a press release and a photo, these MEPs included German Green MEP Viola von Cramon-Taubadel, Italian Socialist MEP Alessandra Moretti and Vladimír Bilčík, a Slovakian member of the conservative European People’s Party group.

There is no indication in the intelligence briefing that Moretti, Bilcik and von Cramon-Taubadel knew of Antic’s FSB connections when they met with him, while the latter did not respond to a request for comment from the newspaper.

Antic, president of the Serbian military union, also met with representatives of the EUROMIL and EPSU unions, which represent armed forces personnel and public sector workers in the European Union respectively.

When asked about the meeting with Antic, an EPSU official replied: “A delegation from his union was in Brussels in October, where they met with several MEPs and were all transparent.” The only issue was trade union rights.”

EUROMIL told Politico that they reacted strongly to the events in Serbia and denied any possible connection with the Russian authorities. EUROMIL President Emmanuel Jacob added that “in the short term, the organization could take the step of temporarily suspending Serbia’s observer status pending clarification.”

According to the Western intelligence briefing obtained by Politico, Antić is an active “influence agent” for the Russian Federal Security Service, known as the FSB.

Antić works closely with an FSB employee named Vyacheslav Kalinin, a Russian citizen and editor-in-chief of Veteran News, a media website that specializes in news about armed forces veterans. The “About Us” tab on the website states that Veteran News is an “information partner” of the FSB and the Russian Ministry of Defense, among other branches of the Russian security forces.

Kalinin did not respond to a Politico request for comment.

While the intelligence briefing highlighted Antic’s actions in particular, it pointed out that Kalinin recruited others without specifying how many or which country they were in.

Russia is using Serbia as a base for influence operations aimed at weakening pro-EU and pro-NATO sentiment domestically as well as within the European Union, which has been a staunch supporter of Ukraine since Russia fully invaded the country two years ago. Antic used his role as head of the Serbian Military Union to criticize Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and senior members of the country’s armed forces.

“They used every opportunity to spread Russian propaganda about the war in Ukraine,” the conference said, referring to meetings in Serbia and EU countries.

The news that Antić has held meetings in the European Parliament underscores the vulnerability of that body to state-sponsored influence operations. Earlier this month, Politico revealed that spyware was found on the cell phones of two MEPs, including former French European Affairs Minister Nathalie Loiseau, who chairs the defense subcommittee.

Antic and his representatives did not respond to Politico’s request for comment.

Kalinin invited Antic to Russia between 2019 and 2020 to meet with senior Russian military officials. Originally focused on influencing Serbian civil society, the pair have since expanded their focus to include European trade union organizations and veterans, and in recent months, members of the European Parliament.

According to the news site Balkan Insight, Antic, an outspoken critic of the Serbian armed forces who has fallen out with the country’s political leadership, is currently being held on unspecified charges.

According to Balkan Insight, Antic has been fired at by the Serbian military twice in the last five years. According to the publication, he went on a hunger strike to protest his detention. A lawyer for Antic declined to tell Balkan Insight what charges he was being held on.