Earlier this year, EU Political Report published two articles under the responsibility of its former Chief Editor, James Wilson, alleging that the Russian government exercised improper influence on Mr Dragan Šolak and on the news channels controlled by United Group BV (UG), of which Mr Šolak is the founder and minority shareholder.
At the time when these articles were written, we failed to consult Mr Šolak regarding these allegations.
Mr Šolak 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 We have withdrawn the relevant articles and we sincerely apologise to Mr Šolak for the prejudice caused by these articles.
In order to set the record straight, we summarise 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 recognised 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 favour 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.
Mr Šolak 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 Šolak is portrayed next to President Putin, is fake and AI generated. Mr Šolak has never met President Putin or any other Russian officials from the Russian government, Gazprom or any other Russian State-controlled entity.
Our articles also contained false and misleading allegations 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.
