Journalistic research points at ‘Russian spy’ among MEPs

Tatjana Ždanoka, a long-serving member of the European Parliament from Latvia, is allegedly an agent working with Russian intelligence services, according to a collaborative investigation released by the independent Russian media outlet The Insider on Monday (29 January).

Ždanoka, who represented Latvia in the European Parliament from 2004, is alleged to have been a Russian asset since at least 2015. The Insider, along with the Estonian media outlet Delfi, Latvian investigative journalism center  Re:Baltica, and Swedish newspaper Expressen, cited leaked emails between Ždanoka and her alleged Russian handlers and other sources to support its claims.

Ždanoka denies the accusations. The European Parliament says the allegations are taken seriously and that an investigation has been opened.

Citing interviews and communications it obtained, The Insider claimed that Ždanoka was primarily motivated by ideology rather than material gain.

“Despite holding a Latvian passport, Ždanoka has nevertheless built a career opposing its existence as a sovereign country,” The Insider said.

“Indeed, Ždanoka has been outspoken in her support of Latvia’s eastern neighbor, Russia, along with that former colonial master’s well-documented, ongoing efforts to interfere in the Baltics.”

Ždanoka’s public activity, both concerning her official work as a lawmaker and statements in her private life, display a long-standing pattern of supporting Russia and promoting Russian propaganda.

While a sitting member of the European Parliament, Ždanoka participated as an international observer in a sham referendum on Crimea’s annexation by Russia in 2014, widely viewed as illegitimate. She also was one of a small group of lawmakers who voted against the European Parliament’s condemnation of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in March 2022.

Ždanoka is non-attached, meaning she is not part of any group in the European Parliament.

The Insider claimed that Ždanoka’s work to promote Russia extended beyond rhetoric and what was previously known publicly.

Citing leaked emails and comments from intelligence sources in the Baltics and other Western countries, The Insider alleged that Ždanoka regularly met with known members of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), whom are characterized as her “case officers.”

It is unclear what exactly Ždanoka’s clandestine activities to support Russia may have been, but sources told The Insider that her being a Russian spy would not be surprising given her public positions.

“The fact that the FSB didn’t hide their interaction with her, that it was open to be exposed, such as you’ve done now — I guess they didn’t care because the people they’re trying to influence are favorably disposed toward Russia anyway,” a former US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officer told The Insider.

Ždanoka responded to The Insider’s requests for comment on the story, saying she could not specifically recall the individuals in question, including her supposed Russian handlers.

“I cannot consider this text to be questions put to me because it is based on information that you supposedly have, which by definition, you should not have,” she wrote to The Insider.

Ždanoka is co-chairwoman of the Latvian Russian Union and its predecessor parties since 1993. In the beginning of 2022, ethnic Russians made up 24.2% of the population.

Due to changes passed by Latvia’s parliament in 2022 that ban “pro-Kremlin-oriented persons and political organizations” from running for office, which were widely thought to be specifically directed at Ždanoka, she cannot run for reelection.

The Insider referred its investigation to Latvia’s intelligence services.

(Edited by Georgi Gotev)

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