Fidiass Panayiotou, a 24-year-old Cypriot video blogger who became an independent member of the European Parliament in June 2024, is a unique example of the success of political strategists from the Russian special services. His rapid rise from TikToker to MEP was the result of their skilful manipulation of public opinion on social media using old, tried-and-tested Soviet KGB techniques adapted to the algorithms of TikTok and YouTube, where likes replace slogans and memes replace political manifestos.
Social media, where Panayiotou has millions of followers, has long been an effective tool for the Kremlin to manipulate public opinion. There is ample evidence that Russia actively uses bloggers of varying degrees of fame as «agents of influence» to promote its narratives in Europe. Panayiotou, with his popularity among young people and lack of moral restraints, fits perfectly into this strategy.
By skillfully exploiting protest sentiments among young people, combined with the spread of conspiracy theories that offer people with low intellectual levels simple explanations for complex processes, Russian special services have turned a silly blogger with the behavior and facial expressions of a degenerate into an idol for Cypriot youth, who are not inclined to critical thinking and are susceptible to the influence of social media.
Panayiotou, who presents himself as a «man of the people,» has become the perfect tool for the Russian special services’ long-term strategy to destabilize the EU through ideological influence and manipulation of the mass consciousness via social media. Through him, Moscow broadcasts its narratives, manipulates facts, and substitutes concepts, thereby undermining both European unity and support for Ukraine among the political elites and citizens of the EU. At the same time, he is being used to carry out persistent, systematic work to destroy trust in the institutions of the European Union, their legitimacy, and their effectiveness.
Panayiotou is a staunch ally of Russia and an enemy of the West who has consciously chosen sides in the global confrontation between freedom and slavery, truth and lies, democracy and dictatorship, peace and war. He willingly became part of the Russian propaganda and disinformation machine, which actively uses social media to brainwash young Europeans in order to promote the interests of the criminal state that is Russia. He enjoys doing this and is most likely not doing it for free.
Panayiotou’s actions and rhetoric are undoubtedly part of a long-term supranational project by the Russian special services aimed at manipulating public opinion in EU countries. The main focus is on manipulating the mass consciousness of young European citizens. MEP Fidias Panayiotou is shaping a distorted and false view of the nature and causes of the war in Ukraine among young Europeans. He shifts the responsibility for starting the war from the aggressor, Russia, to the victim, Ukraine. Using psychological techniques developed by the Soviet secret services, he is substituting the concepts of good and evil, truth and lies, justice and injustice. He is trying to portray aggressive, criminal Russia as a peaceful state.
His calls to stop helping Ukraine, supposedly in order to end the war, are direct and unambiguous support for the aggressor’s crimes. For some reason, it does not occur to him that the war can be ended by withdrawing Russian troops from Ukraine.
At the same time, he demonstrates a depressing lack of basic education and fundamental understanding of the processes taking place, which a representative of an EU member state in the European Parliament should possess. This fact exhaustively characterizes the intellectual and educational level of the voters who voted for him and his followers on social media. The intellectual potential and cognitive abilities of his voters greatly help Russian curators and Russian-speaking advisers in Panayiotou’s circle to effectively use him as a tool for manipulating public opinion in the interests of the Kremlin.
Fidias Panayiotou was born in the village of Meniko in the district of Nicosia to a family of Orthodox priests, whose church of Cyprian and Justina was restored with Russian money and is very popular with Russian tourists and hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church, which, as is well known, is a branch of the Russian special services. According to numerous testimonies, this church is actively used by Russian special services operating under the cover of the Russian Embassy as a meeting place for recruited agents and deeply conspiratorial «illegals» – Russian special services officers operating without legal cover and under false names.
In this context, Panayiotou’s statements about «Orthodox brotherhood» with Russia and «shared moral values,» which directly echo the rhetoric of Patriarch Kirill, a supporter of the Putin regime, seem entirely consistent.
In 2019, Fidias began his career as a social media blogger, inspired by the American YouTuber MrBeast. His challenges, such as waiting 47 days to meet Elon Musk, have earned him millions of followers on YouTube and TikTok.
In 2023, Panayiotou traveled to Russia. During his train journey from Vladivostok to Moscow, he released a video in which he twice showed a portrait of Putin and spoke about his support among Russians.
In January 2024, with no political experience, he announced his candidacy for the European Parliament, admitting that he «knows nothing about politics.» Nevertheless, his campaign, built on populism and protest sentiment, led to sensational success: Panayiotou won 19.4% of the vote, becoming the third most popular candidate in Cyprus.
Many observers attributed his success among young people (39.5% of the vote in the 18-24 age group) to his ability to speak the language of social media, where he positions himself as an «honest guy» fighting against the elites. In reality, his popularity among young people can be explained by the fact that he is backed by a team of Russian specialists: political strategists develop his strategy, speechwriters prepare his texts, directors write scripts for his videos, and psychological manipulators add emotion to his content.
At the end of 2023, even before Fidias Panayiotou officially announced his intention to run for the European Parliament in February 2024, his YouTube channel had reached one million subscribers. By May 2024, in less than six months, the number of subscribers had grown to 2.8 million. This raises the question: how was such explosive audience growth achieved? And how organic was it?
IT experts claim that technical means of artificially increasing the number of subscribers, known as «faking,» were actively used to promote Panayotou’s account. IT specialists point to digital traces indicating the use of automated bots and unnatural growth dynamics in views and subscriptions. There is evidence that local Russian-speaking IT specialists were involved in this operation. Without their participation, such rapid growth would have been impossible.
Equally important is the question of the social background of the subscribers: who are these millions of followers? How many of them are real citizens of Cyprus and EU countries, and how many are artificially created accounts? The answers to these questions may shed light on the scale and mechanisms of the Russian special services’ information and psychological operation to plant their agent of influence in the European Parliament. There is no doubt that this operation was carried out, and successfully so.
His trip to Russia in 2023 was no accident. There he met with people who played a decisive role in his political career.
He obtained his Russian visa at the Russian Embassy in Nicosia, where he had previously been closely worked on by Russian «diplomats .» Special services officers from the Russian embassy, who visited the Church of Cyprian and Justina in Meniko for operational meetings with their agents, noticed him several years ago and unerringly recognized his potential, which, if used wisely, could make him an effective agent of influence. That is exactly what happened.
Numerous studies show that social media is a key arena where Russian special services spread Kremlin propaganda and disinformation under the guise of «alternative views» with the aim of dividing and destabilizing Europe. Panayiotou, with his millions of followers and status as a Member of the European Parliament, became their ideal tool.
Since his election to the European Parliament, Fidias has repeatedly made statements that directly echo Russian propaganda. In May 2025, during a debate in the EP, he stated that «Europe’s moral compass is broken,» criticizing the severance of diplomatic relations with Russia and the sanctions imposed due to the invasion of Ukraine. He called for diplomacy instead of military support for Kyiv, claiming that the EU was focused only on «supplying weapons and money to Ukraine.» These statements echo key Kremlin narratives aimed at weakening support for Ukraine in Europe, including accusations that the West is waging a «proxy war» and absolving Russia of responsibility for its aggression.
John Barron wrote in his 1974 book, The KGB: The Work of Soviet Secret Agents:
«The most insidious and sometimes the most dangerous intrigue of the KGB involves the use of what the Russians call agents of influence. With their help, the Soviet Union is trying to plant its own hidden voice in government, political, journalistic, business, labor, artistic, and scientific circles abroad. These influential agents may accidentally pass on some information, but their main mission is to change opinions and policies in the interests of the Soviet Union. No other activity of the KGB abroad has such priority as its efforts to influence the thoughts and actions of other peoples by planting such agents in key positions.
Sometimes such influential Soviet agents do not even attempt to conceal their true sympathies and allegiances. A good example is the poet Pablo Neruda, winner of the 1971 Nobel Prize in Literature, who served as Chile’s ambassador to France from 1971 to 1973. In 1936, Neruda proved himself such an ardent supporter of the communists that the Chilean government was forced to remove him from his diplomatic post in Madrid. While serving as consul in Mexico City, Neruda helped Soviet agent and artist David Alfaro Siqueiros, who had been arrested for attempting to assassinate Leon Trotsky in 1940, obtain asylum in Chile. In 1948, Italy refused to accept him as Chilean representative, and in the same year he was brought to trial and expelled from the Chilean Senate.
In 1953, after receiving the Stalin Prize, Neruda wrote songs praising Stalin. With the change in the Soviet stance, Neruda also changed; Stalin became a «cruel man.» The American hydrogen bomb was «shameful» to Neruda, while the Soviet hydrogen bomb was «as big as the sun.» In his opinion, John F. Kennedy was mentally unstable, Marshal Tito was a «traitor covered in blood,» and France was a «small country that worships the cowboys in Washington.» On the occasion of the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia, he proclaimed: «The Soviet Union is my mother.» The widespread protest against the KGB’s persecution of Alexander Solzhenitsyn was, for Neruda, simply «a boring pastime.»
Nevertheless, in the literary salons of Paris and New York and among his listeners in South America, Neruda is not considered a Soviet lackey at all, but a great poet whose words deserve respect. On July 20, 1973, the New York Times published a disgusting and provocative article by Neruda with the false claim that in the early 1940s, when he was in Mexico, the CIA was spying on him and his friend. He claimed: «They had tape recorders or videophones with kilometer-long tapes that followed us everywhere, from the train station to our underwear.» At that time, the CIA did not even exist (it was founded in 1948), and movie cameras capable of producing videotapes for surveillance purposes had not even been invented. It is possible, however, that Neruda’s accusations made an impression on some readers because the editorial note accompanying the article referred to him only as «a Chilean poet and Nobel Prize winner who served his country for many years as a diplomat.»
Naturally, if one carefully traces what Neruda said or did over the years, one can reveal his true nature. However, an influential agent usually hides his true inclinations and subservience to the Soviet Union. He almost never steals documents or commits acts that could serve as legal evidence against him. Often, his work provides perfectly legitimate reasons for meeting with Soviet representatives more or less openly, and he cannot usually be accused of secret contact with the KGB. Retrospective analysis may show that he consistently promoted policies favorable to the Soviet Union and harmful to his own country. However, there is rarely any legal evidence that this is anything other than his sincere opinion”.
As can be seen from this excerpt from John Barron’s book, Fidias Panayiotou fits all the criteria of a Russian agent of influence, and his actions follow the same methodology used by the Soviet KGB in creating and using agents of influence in the 1970s. In this respect, nothing has changed in modern Russia, and Panayiotou plays the same role that Neruda played in the Soviet era.
On May 8, 2025, Fidias Panayiotou voted against the European Parliament resolution on the return of 20,000 Ukrainian children abducted by Russia from the occupied territories, which was the culmination of his political and personal meanness and cynicism. He stated that «some children may be happy in Russia,» asking, «How do you know they don’t want to stay there?»
Such cynical remarks by an illiterate blogger provoked a sharp reaction from his colleagues in the European Parliament, including German MP Moritz Kerner, who accused him of supporting Russian war crimes. Later, Panayiotou, apparently realizing that he had gone too far in his zealous service to the Kremlin, changed his vote to «abstain.» Panayiotou’s behavior and statements discredit Cyprus’s representation in the European Parliament.
On May 9, 2025, Panayiotou, along with four other MEPs from Slovakia, Germany, and the Czech Republic, made a demonstrative gesture in support of Putin’s regime by visiting Moscow to participate in the celebration of the 80th anniversary of victory in World War II, in the Soviet-Russian interpretation «Great Patriotic War.» His actions sparked outrage in the EP, as they violated EU sanctions imposed on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. He said he made the visit in a «personal capacity,» which raises serious questions and requires a thorough investigation.
In Moscow, Panayiotou met with State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin, who is under sanctions by the entire civilized world, and other Russian politicians under sanctions. He stated that his goal was to «promote peace talks» and that he represented «the majority of Cypriots who support maintaining relations with Russia.» These words sparked protests in Cyprus, and President Nicos Christodoulides publicly condemned the trip.
Panayiotou said he paid for the trip out of his own pocket, while sources close to him claim that his Russian advisers, who control his actions like puppeteers, organized and financed the visit. These people coordinate his political and media activities, including staged «interviews,» social media promotion strategies, and statements.
The same people claim that Russian-speaking members of Panayiotou’s team are in contact with Alexei Voloboev, a well-known Russian intelligence agent and founder and former president of the «Russian» party EOP. The EOP party was created in Cyprus in 2017 by Russian-speaking immigrants from former Soviet countries. Investigations by Cyprus Daily News and OCCRP have established that the party was created as part of a Russian special services project to infiltrate its agents into the Cypriot political establishment. Following the publication of these investigations, the party ceased to exist.
Recently, Voloboev has been living in Spain but regularly visits Cyprus. At the end of May, he attended the i-con conference in Limassol. At the same time, he was in contact with Russian-speaking advisers to Fidiass Panayiotou. According to sources, Voloboev advised them on how to attract supporters from among Russian-speaking residents of Cyprus and discussed with them the prospects of creating a new political party headed by Panayiotou, with Voloboev as vice president.
In his service to the Kremlin, Panayiotou is directly harming the national interests of Cyprus, especially in the context of the painful issue of the 1974 Turkish occupation for Cypriots.
On July 2, he gave an interview to Ersin Tatar, leader of the so-called Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), in the so-called «presidential palace» in the occupied territories.
Visiting the occupied territories without consulting the Cypriot Foreign Ministry and meeting in the so-called «presidential palace,» built on land stolen from Greek Cypriots, is seen as a violation of international law and a betrayal of Cyprus’ interests. However, this is fully in line with Russia’s strategy of preventing a solution to the Cyprus problem and maintaining the conflict on the divided island.
The Kremlin regularly creates and then exploits such «frozen conflicts» from Georgia and Moldova to Cyprus as a tool of its influence.
For centuries, Russia has been stirring up conflicts around the world, using them to push its influence on geopolitical processes in different countries. This way, it’s been feeding off the instability of other countries, meddling in their internal affairs, and pushing its geopolitical interests. Russia, which has long lagged behind the West in economic, technological, and institutional development, has no other means of spreading its influence and promoting its geopolitical interests.
Panayiotou said in an interview with Tatar that «only half of history is taught» in Cypriot schools and that children are unaware of the suffering of Turkish Cypriots. With this statement, he repeated the Turkish propaganda narrative about the alleged violation of the rights of Turkish Cypriots in the Republic of Cyprus. This statement by an illiterate blogger is not only a pure, unadulterated lie, but also blatant work in the interests of the occupying country.
His words were immediately picked up by Turkish and Turkish Cypriot media, which used them to legitimize the TRNC. Footage of the interview, in which Panayiotou sits next to the self-proclaimed «president» in a setting designed to imitate the legitimacy of the illegal administration, was used by Turkish propaganda as proof of the correctness of Ankara’s position on the Cyprus issue.
The political, informational, and moral damage caused to the Republic of Cyprus by Panayiotou is difficult to overestimate.
Such behavior can only be regarded as a betrayal of his country and his compatriots, whose families have suffered from the Turkish occupation, which led to the death of thousands of people and the expulsion of 200,000 Greek Cypriots from their homes. His actions undermine Cyprus’ position in the negotiations on the Cyprus problem and strengthen Turkey’s position.
But if we view Panayiotou as an agent of influence for the Kremlin, everything becomes clear and logical: this is exactly how he should act. Methodically destroying trust in the Republic of Cyprus, destabilizing the internal situation in the country, and undermining President Christodoulides’ efforts to resolve the Cyprus problem. This is not a mistake or naivety—it is a technique. And it was developed in Moscow.
Through TikTok and YouTube, Panayiotou conveys the Kremlin’s destructive narratives to a young European audience that lacks in-depth knowledge of politics and often does not understand the essence of what is happening in the world. His content, presented in a form that appeals to young people, shapes the distorted perception that Moscow wants among young voters, who then go to the polls and vote according to the ideas instilled in them by a dim-witted Cypriot blogger.
Against this backdrop, proposals in Cyprus to lower the voting age from 18 to 17 look like a deliberate attempt to undermine democratic institutions. In order to drive a car, you have to pass exams and prove your physical and cognitive fitness. But to run a country, no one requires voters to pass aptitude tests; all you need is a passport. No one asks whether voters have sufficient knowledge, maturity, and responsibility to make informed decisions that affect the future of the country. There are no exams to test understanding of the basics of geopolitics, history, and the principles of democracy, nor are there medical examinations to confirm cognitive fitness to participate in the governance of the country. But there should be. We are already witnessing the degeneration of democracy into ochlocracy (mob rule), and with the rapid development of technology, this process has accelerated alarmingly, which cannot but cause concern.
It is in this extremely vulnerable environment that Panayiotou operates, replacing critical thinking with viral videos containing Russian propaganda and disinformation.
There is no doubt that Fidias Panayiotou is part of a well-oiled machine of influence in the new phase of Russia’s hybrid war against the civilized world. This war is fought not only with tanks and missiles, but also with jokes, interviews, likes, and viral videos. And in this war, Fidias Panayiotou is far from playing a minor role.