EU MP Concerned Over UK Interference Abroad Via Integrity Initiative Project

BRUSSELS (Sputnik) – European Parliament lawmaker Janice Atkinson told Sputnik on Monday that she was worried over projects like London's Integrity Initiative hybrid warfare program interfering in the domestic affairs of EU member states.

"I’m not surprised if these groups exist, whether it’s dressed up as ‘intelligence’ or Foreign Office or through diplomatic channels. What worries me is what constitutes ‘interfering’ in EU countries’ internal affairs. Who are they targeting? What don’t they like about their internal affairs, be it left or right? Due to the spread of social media and hacking abilities, these kinds of deep state operations are being exposed," Atkinson said.

According to Anonymous, the Integrity Initiative project was launched in 2015 and was funded by the UK government. The Integrity Initiative's list of participants includes Bill Browder, the CEO of Hermitage Capital Management, and Vladimir Ashurkov, an associate of Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny.

The documents showed that Integrity Initiative costs for the fiscal year ending on March 31, 2019, were estimated at 1.96 million pounds ($2.51 million).

READ MORE: Anonymous Claims Ex-Russian Spy Scholar Enlisted to UK Info Warfare Project

Last week, the documents of the Integrity Initiative project obtained by the Anonymous hacktivist group were released by media. According to Anonymous, the project's declared goal was to counteract "Russian propaganda." The group, in particular, stated that the project had covert structures capable of interfering in domestic affairs of France, Germany, Italy, Greece, the Netherlands, Lithuania, Norway, Serbia, Spain, and Montenegro.