Slovak authorities have revoked the temporary protection status of pro-Kremlin propagandist Artyom Marchevskiy, Czech daily DenikN reported.

“Following a thorough and objective assessment of the case of said person, the migration office of the Ministry of Interior of the Slovak Republic […] issued on July 3 2024 the decision to revoke the temporary asylum,” Matej Neumann, spokesperson of the Slovak ministry was quoted as saying by DenikN. 

Ukrainian-Israeli Marchevskiy sought temporary protection status in Slovakia following his inclusion in the Czech national sanctions list in late March for his activities in connection to the Prague-based Voice of Europe pro-Kremlin platform. He was included in Czechia’s sanctions list along with Ukrainian media oligarch Oleg Medvedchuk and the Voice of Europe platform itself.

“The same day” the Czech cabinet added Marchevskiy to its sanctions list, Marchevskiy “headed to neighbouring Slovakia”. Czech media closely followed Marchevskiy as Slovakia’s left-right cabinet of populist Prime Minister Robert Fico reoriented Slovak foreign policy to a Kremlin-pleasing stance, ending state military support of Ukraine after the cabinet formed last autumn.

Slovak authorities stated in May that “there is not sufficient evidence” that Marchevskiy would pose a security risk, while facing pressure from Slovak liberal opposition politicians demanding more transparency in the handling of Marchevskiy’s case.   

A number of mostly far-right politicians across the EU were promoted and funded by the Voice of Europe media platform ahead of the European Parliament elections, DennikN and other Czech publications reported in April, quoting documents which the Czech counterintelligence BIS shared with the country’s legislators. Exposure of the pro-Kremlin propaganda ring was carried out jointly by Czech and Polish security services.

Later in April, BIS played recordings to the country’s legislators of Petr Bystron, a German far-right party Alternative fur Deutschland (AfD)  politician of Czech origin, allegedly accepting bribes from Marchevskiy.

Some of the politicians promoted in the scheme include Belgian separatist Filip Dewinter, European Parliament candidates from the AfD Petr Bystron and Maximilian Krah, Dutch Thierry Baudet, Czech ex-cabinet members Cyril Svoboda and Jiri Paroubek, and Slovak legislator Erik Kalinak from Fico’s ruling leftist populist Smer party.