Czech media reported that Martin Nejedlý, advisor to the Czech President with connections to Russian businesses, visited Russia to negotiate with Yuri Ushakov, foreign policy advisor to the Russian President without institutional authorization. The meeting reflects the informal nature of the relationship which Nejedlý maintains with high-ranking officials from Vladimir Putin’s immediate vicinity.

In December, Russian state-sponsored Sputnik News published an interview with aPolish citizen suggesting that it is absurd to affirm that conspiracy theories claiming that the pandemic isn’t real could be inspired by Russia. In fact, it is part of long-term denial that Russian state-controlled media are involved in spreading disinformation about COVID-19.

The EUvsDisinfo database contains over 650 cases of disinformation related to COVID-19 which are inspired by pro-Kremlin portals. Russia’s COVID-19 disinformation campaign has been documented by both the media and governments. Despite the serious impact of disinformation on public health, official and state-supported sources from Russia continue to channel conspiracy theories and disinformation to EU audiences. Some of the pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives surrounding COVID-19 include conspiracy theories about Bill Gates or George Soros supposedly sponsoring the coronavirus breakout; the West being behind the creation of the virus; COVID-19 being a biological weapon or it being created with an economic purpose to benefit large pharmaceutical companies.

More media attention and advocacy should be dedicated to carefully monitoring and raising public awareness not only of Nejedly’s surroundings, but also his working environment and the network of contacts that he interacts with in the Czech Republic.

Given his history of debt accumulation and the fact that Vratislav Mynar himself has documented connections to the Czech debt-collecting business, then, by following the trail of debt, execution and insolvency proceedings, it might lead to a particularly fruitful direction. The latest media revelations suggest that there is yet more to discover.

Finally, it is noteworthy that debt accumulation, related blackmailing and extortion are frequently sighted in the highest echelons of the Kremlin kleptocracy.

Besides using effective strategic communication to inform citizens by explaining the realities of the current pandemic, democratic countries should also beware of Russian state-sponsored channels deploying widespread disinformation campaigns regarding COVID-19 and the availability of vaccines. This should always be taken into account when dealing with the Russian Federation, especially now that it is trying to implement its vaccine diplomacy. While the Russian vaccine Sputnik V might seem like a quick fix for some countries that are lacking vaccines for all of its citizens, it is surrounded by non-transparency and, so far, no effort has been employed to obtain the European Medicines Agency’s approval. Turning to Russia for help might cause even more instability and risks to public health.