00:00Who are the latest Russian disinformation actors sanctioned by the EU?
00:07Russian propaganda in Europe doesn't always come from the outside.
00:11European citizens can often play a crucial role in promoting it.
00:15Russell sanctioned four individuals on 16th March
00:17for conducting hybrid manipulation and foreign interference activities for Russia.
00:23Adrien Bocquet, a dual-national Franco-Russian and former member of the French military, was among them.
00:28He intensified his propaganda activities following Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine,
00:33presenting himself as an independent war reporter.
00:37In 2022, he claimed to have returned to France after an alleged humanitarian trip to Ukraine.
00:42Bocquet gave interviews to mainstream French media outlets,
00:45in which he alleged that he had witnessed grave crimes committed by the Ukrainian army.
00:50In reality and upon investigation, his claims turned out to be entirely made up.
00:54Bocquet is now based in Russia and continues to use his platforms to spread disinformation.
00:59Another sanctioned individual was Graham Phillips,
01:02a former clerk for the now-defunct UK Central Office of Information.
01:06He began his career spreading information about Russia and Ukraine
01:09by writing a blog titled Brits in Ukraine.
01:12A decade later, he became a pro-Kremlin YouTuber,
01:15filming from the front lines of Russian-occupied territories.
01:18The London Metropolitan Police is investigating him for war crimes
01:22over allegations he mistreated captured prisoner of war Aidan Aslin in an interview.
01:27Ernst Makavisius, who was born in Lithuania but has lived in Russia for decades, was also sanctioned.
01:33Makavisius has worked for Russian state-owned television since 1991, hosting various programmes.
01:39In practice, these sanctions mean that these individuals' assets will be frozen.
01:43EU citizens and companies are also banned from providing them with financial assistance.
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