US billionaire George Soros-linked nongovernmental organizations in Central European states are focusing on "Russian influence" on society, political analyst Petr Zantovsky, a lecturer at the University of Economics in Prague, told Sputnik.
The analyst, who is researching the activities of Soros-funded media outlets and organizations and their influence on public opinion in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, pointed to such platforms as Neovlivni.cz, Hlidacipes.cz and the analytical center European Values (Evropské hodnody).
For example, Neovlivni.cz outlines a list of allegedly pro-Russian individuals and organizations in its section with the eloquent name "Russian trace."
"It is openly stated on the webpages of these platforms that they are being funded by [George Soros'] Open Society Foundations," Zantovsky told Sputnik Czech. "Or, for example, the European Values' Kremlin Watch project is being funded from the same foundation. The main goal of these platforms is to track "Russian influence" on Czech politics and society. At the same time, an analytical report of academics indicated that the Kremlin Watch project has nothing to do with an expert assessment; it appears to be political propaganda. These examples demonstrate that George Soros is funding very specific political activity."
Soros' interference in the affairs of European states has repeatedly become the focus of public attention.
Previously, Slovak former Prime Minister Robert Fico accused President Andrej Kiska of destabilizing the situation in the country, citing his ties with the billionaire. The statement came after the murder of Slovak investigative journalist Jan Kuciak, who was shot dead on February 26, 2018.
Kuciak's assassination prompted a wave of protests throughout the country. Tens of thousands took to the streets in Bratislava and other cities demanding a thorough inquiry into the journalist's death as well as the resignation of the government. The journalist had been known for investigating Italian mafia links to senior Slovak officials.
Commenting on Fico's statement, Zantovsky noted that he believes that "a politician that is holding such a high post would not have made such a statement if he did not have facts confirming them."
"Moreover, Fico said these words amid the biggest political crisis since the times of [former Prime Minister] Vladimir Meciar," the academic added.
At the same time, Zantovsky expressed doubts regarding the possibility of a Western-backed "color revolution" in Slovakia. He referred to the fact that the Slovak opposition has long been critical of Brussels, and the West would definitely lose if it comes to power. Additionally, there is no unity among the opposition leaders and they do not have a single political program, he noted.
Soros-funded organizations have been repeatedly spotted being involved in anti-government unrest and regime-change operations.
Recently, the billionaire has come under heavy criticism from Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who referred to Soros' attempts to meddle in the country's affairs. For its part, Israel has accused Soros of "continuously undermining Israel's democratically elected governments" in July 2017, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggested that the recent smear campaign against him was also backed by the tycoon-funded organizations.
The views and opinions expressed by Petr Zantovsky are those of the speaker and do not necessarily reflect those of Sputnik.