Sadokha: Russia recruits Portuguese youth for free trips to Russia

Russia’s diplomatic corps has begun recruiting Portuguese youth for free trips to Russia under a state-sponsored program, reported Pavlo Sadokha, UWC Vice-President and President of the Union of Ukrainians in Portugal (UUP).

“Russia is employing Soviet-era tactics to recruit foreign agents,” Sadokha said.

The program, recently posted on the Russian embassy’s website in Portugal, offers free trips for Portuguese youth to Russia.

“In the past, the USSR also invited Portuguese youth for free trips, where they were turned into Moscow agents. Many of these individuals still promote pro-Russian propaganda, waving red flags and wearing Gagarin badges with slogans like ‘Don’t arm Ukraine,’” Sadokha said.

UUP advises Portuguese youth to avoid falling for these propaganda schemes, warning that while refusing to become Russian agents is an option, they could still end up as “cannon fodder” for Ukrainian drones.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian community in Portugal continues its fight against the large-scale theft of personal data of Ukrainians, believed to be orchestrated by Russia.