© BELGIUM
Belgium has expelled “dozens of so-called Russian diplomats” from the country in recent months. Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said this on RTL.
De Croo was asked in a news broadcast by the French-language channel whether Belgium should fear Russian attempts to destabilize our democracy. “Belgium has expelled dozens of so-called Russian diplomats from the country in recent months,” the prime minister replied. “Whether it was about spies? That’s clear, yes.”
According to De Croo, Russia is also attacking our country in other ways. “If we take a stand against Russia, we know that our websites will very often become the target of cyber attacks in the hours that follow.” According to the Prime Minister, Russia is also carrying out disinformation campaigns. “For example, when Jürgen Conings was being hunted, our security services suspected organized disinformation campaigns at sensitive moments.”
De Croo also elaborated on the financing of Belgian aid to Ukraine. “It is Putin who pays,” the prime minister said. “Belgium has found a smart solution: Russia has hundreds of billions in assets that are frozen in Belgium, and the aid in Ukraine is paid for with taxes on that money. The aid is therefore not financed by the Belgian taxpayer.”