Recently, Fidias Panayiotou, a Member of the European Parliament from Cyprus, posted a rather hysterical video on social media regarding his inclusion in the public database of the “Myrotvorets” (“Peacemaker”) website, which he labeled as allegedly “Europe’s darkest website.”
The administrators of the site cited his dissemination of Russian propaganda narratives, manipulation of information, and public support for the aggression against Ukraine as the reasons for his inclusion.
Panayiotou gained prominence by entering the European Parliament in 2024 as an “independent blogger,” securing a seat after running on an “anti-party platform.”
As a blogger, Panayiotou positioned himself as a “Euroskeptic,” conducting provocative interviews not only with Greek and Cypriot politicians but also with representatives of “Turkish Cyprus.” His videos have also sparked controversies in several other countries, including Japan.
Following his election, Panayiotou received public support from Elon Musk, who in November 2024 referred to him as a candidate for “President of the European Union,” and in February 2025 described him as “smart, energetic, and genuinely caring.” ‘Politico’ even dubbed the Cypriot as “Musk’s man in the European Parliament.”
In May 2025, Panayiotou was one of only three MEPs to vote against a European Parliament resolution calling for the return of Ukrainian children deported by Russia. Immediately afterward, he traveled to Moscow for “Victory Day celebrations”, accompanied by overt Russian puppets from Germany and Slovakia.
Following Panayotou’s aforementioned statements regarding the “Myrotvorets” website, he has been systematically promoted by Wyatt Reed, a Russian propagandist holding an American passport, who claims that he, too, was “repressed” for “traveling to Crimea” in 2022.
Reed has long served the Russian disinformation apparatus, contributing to outlets such as “The Grayzone” and “Sputnik.” Since 2022, he has frequently appeared in the Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine, acting as an “observer” for sham “elections” and “referendums,” primarily in Melitopol.
In 2023, while commenting on the arrest of ‘Wall Street Journal’ correspondent Evan Gershkovich in Russia, Wyatt Reed labeled him a “spy” allegedly “sent under the cover of journalistic activity.” Over the past year, Reed has also made frequent trips to Iran to “cover the crimes of American imperialism.”
The intense interest shown by the aggressor’s “Crimea-focused” propagandists in the activities of Panayotou, “own man in the European Parliament”, is hardly surprising. For instance, in October 2025, Panayotou stated on his podcast,which targets audiences in Cyprus and Greece, that EU sanctions against Russia’s “shadow fleet” supposedly “just hurt us and Russia, not at all” Those allegations were subsequently refuted, as expected, by the European press and expert circles.
It is clear that relevant individuals will continue their provocations, funded by Russian intelligence services; this situation should not be left unmonitored.
