EU Political Report apologizes to Solak, removes false articles about Russian influence

Earlier this year, EU Political Report published two articles, as the media outlet states on its website , under the editorial responsibility of its then editor-in-chief, James Wilson, alleging that the Russian government had exerted undue influence on Mr. Dragan Solak and on news channels controlled by the company United Group BV (UG), of which Mr. Solak is a founder and minority shareholder.

At the time the articles were written, EU Political Report wrote, they did not consult Mr. Solak regarding these allegations, so they removed the texts and published one with an explanation and apology.

" Mr. Solak has subsequently brought to our attention important facts that contradict the allegations made in these articles. We have further reviewed this matter and concluded that the articles were wrong and unfounded. We have withdrawn the relevant articles and we sincerely apologize to Mr. Solak for the prejudice caused by these articles," the media outlet reported.

In order to fully clarify the facts, below, as they stated, " we summarize below the relevant facts."

"In the above-mentioned articles we alleged that the news channels controlled by UG, including N1 and Nova S, were influenced by the Russian government. These allegations are false. N1 and Nova S are widely recognized in Serbia and throughout the world for their editorial independence. These channels objectively report on the situation in Serbia and abroad. They are not biased in favor of the Russian government. UG always advocates for peace. It has donated EUR 1 million to Ukraine relief efforts, supported EU initiatives aimed at providing cheaper roaming services to Ukrainians and sponsored various other pro-Ukraine initiatives. N1 journalists were among the first Serbian journalists to report directly from Ukraine in February 2022," it was announced.

Mr. Solak, as they stated, has no connections whatsoever with the Russian government, neither through Mr Wolfram Kuoni nor otherwise.

"The photograph which accompanied one of the articles, on which Mr. Solak is portrayed next to President Putin, is fake and AI generated. Mr. Solak has never met President Putin or any other Russian officials from the Russian government, Gazprom or any other Russian State-controlled entity," the media outlet said.

The articles also contained inaccurate and misleading allegations, according to EU Political Report, regarding the consultancy agency Highgate and the media association the Balkan Free Media Initiative (BFMI).

Highgate is a London-based CEO advisory agency, engaged by UG until early 2024 to advise it on government relations and PR. It was subsequently replaced by another international consultancy. While engaged by UG, Highgate was properly recorded in the EU Transparency Register as one of the external advisors representing UG in EU-related matters.

BFMI is one of several international associations fighting for freedom of the media in the Balkans. UG is one of its supporters and this support has been publicly disclosed.

The articles were also carried by pro-regime tabloids in Serbia including Kurir, which used bombastic headlines and allegations that it was yet another confirmation that everything they had previously written about Solak's Russian connections was true, while some TV stations also ran reports on this subject. It remains to be seen whether they will also apologize and retract the controversial texts.