Defense Expert Slams EU’s Anti-Russian Policies, Says Visa Bans & Property Confiscation Illegal

While the EU is exploring possibilities to sanction Moscow further due to the ongoing special military operation in Ukraine, some military observers warn of the illegal nature of a majority of the restrictions.

According Dr. Marco Marsili, a research fellow at the Institute for Political Studies at the Catholic University of Portugal and an associate fellow at the Centre for Strategic Research and Analysis, Europe’s support for Ukraine may eventually hurt the EU itself, and sanctioning Russian media, businesses, and private individuals often leads to violations of fundamental human rights, while also breaking EU laws.

Sputnik: There have been numerous attempts in the EU to silence alternative opinions. Media outlets such as Sputnik are now banned in Europe. Social media giants often block Russian content on their platforms. How does this correlate with the free speech principles proclaimed by the EU, and how lawful are these restrictions?

Marco Marsili: Well, the European Union has banned Sputnik and other Russian outlets that are directly linked to the government, that are funded by the Russian government. These measures contravene the cornerstone principles of the European Union. I'm talking about the freedom of information and the freedom of speech. Freedom of information is a two-way principle, as it involves the freedom of the media, of the journalists to communicate, to reach out to the audience, the public, the general public, and the right of the public to be informed - to have the possibility to choose between different information sources. This is fundamental for the wellness of a democratic society in which [philosopher and sociologist] Jürgen Habermas branded as the marketplace of ideas. It’s an ideal place where different opinions clash among them. And from this clash of different opinions, the public, the audience, who are also taxpayers and sometimes they are voters have the possibility of forming their own opinion before casting their votes at the next elections.

So, for a democratic society, the principles of freedom of speech, of information - these are cornerstone principles. The European Union contravenes its own principles while banning some media outlets from the European market, and the same applies to the US, which has banned many Russian outlets, such as Sputnik. This is an absolutely illegal measure and it's absolutely unfair and illegal. The Western public has the right to have free access to different sources, afterwards they can choose. There is no confrontation between different opinions. You can only listen to and have access to so-called “Western propaganda,” this is the same as “the Russian propaganda,” if you want to say so. So, it does not make any sense, it’s contradictory.

Sputnik: The introduction of new restrictions on issuing Schengen visas for Russians is on the agenda in the EU. We also see the freezing of bank accounts belonging to Russian nationals and expropriation of property belonging to Russian private individuals all over the EU. Does it look like we are witnessing a kind of discrimination, a new form of McCarthyism in Europe?

Marco Marsili:Actually, there is no so-called “right of free movement” in any international treaty or international convention. But according to the doctrine, this principle has gained more or less the right to be included among the fundamental human rights. So it became a customary freedom in some way, so it should be respected. So, according to the doctrine, it seems to be absolutely illegal, unlawful to ban Russian citizens from getting a visa for traveling to Europe.

At the same time, I must stress that private property is protected by European Union law and by international conventions and treaties, and I’m talking about the European Convention on Human Rights and so on, by national laws all over the European countries. So once again, these measures are illegal.

And it also threatens the confidence that European citizens can have towards the European Union. Who will invest in properties or hold assets within the European Union, when the European Union freezes and confiscates these financial assets and properties?

So, I mean, it's a problem of confidence, of trust in the EU and in the EU member states. From my perspective as a European citizen, I do not have any confidence. I'm concerned about our future as European citizens, too. Our fundamental rights are imperiled, are threatened by this policy that is directed towards Russian citizens, but at the end, once they are breaching the fundamental principles, who knows what they would do next?

Sputnik: Some Baltic states allow marches of Nazi war veterans, Soviet World War II memorials are being taken down, the EU supports the Ukrainian government, which promotes the ideas of Stepan Bandera and has neo-Nazi formations like Azov as part of its armed forces. Does it seem like with the rewriting of history, Europeans have forgotten the lessons of World War II and, if so, is there something that can be done to change people’s minds on these matters?

Marco Marsili: Of course, we are under a strong influence of propaganda by the Western governments, supported by Western media outlets. So it's hard to change the mind of the Western audience about the real nature of the Ukrainians. This is not an opinion, because I already published my work as a scientist on this argument two months ago, and the US Congress was already informed about the Nazi attitude, white supremacist attitude, and the anti-Semitism of the Azov Battalion.

And so the committee of the US Congress on intelligence and security asked the secretary of state twice to ban the Azov Battalion. They knew that this is a military wing that is characterized by neo-Nazism and white supremacism, anti-Semitism, and so on.

And just to say, Stepan Bandera, who is considered a national hero by the Ukrainian government and by the past government and parliament and the current ones. But we all know – and I’m talking as a historian, that Stepan Bandera joined the Waffen SS – the Nazi formation in the Second World War, in 1943 and his organization – the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) was held responsible for massacring tens of thousands of Poles and Jews during the Second World War. And according to the Polish parliament, this was termed as a genocide. So the Polish parliament recognized that as a genocide perpetrated by the Ukrainian nationalists. These are historical facts - these are not opinions. And these people are celebrated, and there are dozens of statues dedicated to Stepan Bandera in Ukraine, and he is celebrated as a national hero, with people celebrating his birthday in the streets each year.

It means that that society and politics in Ukraine have always been and are still right-wing, characterized by a pro-Nazi [attitude], white supremacism, anti-Semitism, and so on.

So I, as a European citizen, I do not want to share the same European institutions with this kind of people, this kind of government. I think it's against the fundamental principles of the European Union.

Sputnik: Moscow has made it clear that Ukraine is a “red line” that the US and NATO should not cross. Why are we seeing an escalation of the conflict by the EU, NATO, and the US instead of them taking into consideration the legitimate interests of Russia and its security concerns? Does the EU really believe it will benefit from accepting Ukraine as a new member, despite the conflict?

Marco Marsili: The Western allies - the US, the European allies, and NATO - they knew that they should not cross the line, and by that I mean the Ukrainian line as well as the Georgian line. What we witnessed in 2008 was a clear warning by Russia to Georgia to stay neutral.

We all knew – scientists, historians, as well as the US and the European Union leaders – they all knew that they had to at least respect at least that line. Because after the fall of the Berlin Wall, after the breakup of the Soviet Union, no formal agreement was signed by the then-Soviet government and later the authorities of the Russian Federation about respecting the sphere of influence that was recognized with the Helsinki Accords . I mean these accords do not have any kind of legal value, but that they have a political value.

That means the Soviet Union and the United States should respect the spheres of influence that came out after the end of the Second World War. It means, that the Soviets acknowledged that Central and South America “belongs” to Western sphere of influence in some way, and Europe also. So we had a confrontation, so-called proxy wars happening in Africa and other countries because that was “the land of nobody.”

These political agreements on the spheres of influence – they should be respected. It's something that the Western governments have disrespected, but they knew it, because we all – scientists, we wrote about it. I mean, we have warned so many times, and also the Russian government has warned the Western powers not to cross that line.

And that is related to your second question. I think the accession of Ukraine to the European Union will be something absolutely bad, because they do not share any values with other European peoples. I mean they have nothing to share with those who are against nationalism, who are against anti-Semitism, against white supremacy, and so on.

So they will bring these kinds of values that are on the other side of the values on which the European Union is founded. The base of the foundation of the European Union is the principle of the fight against fascism and Nazism. But these people will set the clock back 70 years, because they bring back into the European Union these “anti-values,” they are not values. Once in the European Union, they will merge with Poland and with the so-called Visegrad countries, and they support the values that are not shared by the majority of the European countries. So I think it would be something seriously damaging to the cohesion of the European Union.