A new political party, Elpis, has been set up in Cyprus
Updated: 2 days ago
A new political party, Elpis (“Hope”), has been set up in Cyprus. One of its main aims, the party says, is to build closer ties with Russia. Its leader, Andreas Theofilaktou, announced this publicly.
“Hope is the name of our party. And it is the hope of being with the Russian people again... A lot can happen when you have a united country like Russia on your side. I realize we are a small country, but Cyprus is in a strategic location. It is no accident that the British still have bases on our island. So an alliance with Russia would benefit both sides,” Theofilaktou told the Kremlin news agency RIA Novosti on March 12, 2024.
“Elections to various bodies will be held in Cyprus on June 9. Elpis will field candidates for local municipalities. Many Russians live in Cyprus: they have married Cypriots or opened businesses on the island. But Cypriots have a lot to lose because of the sanctions, and tourism suffers most of all,” Theofilaktou said.
Andreas Theofilaktou is known for his far-right views.
The party’s politburo held its first meeting on January 9.
Pictured: members of the politburo. Second from left is Adamos Katsantonis, a communist and left-wing “progressive” who calls himself a personal friend of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un and is a former member of ΕΟΠ, the “Russian party.” Far right: Marios Fotiou.
On February 10, Andreas Theofilaktou and Marios Fotiou visited Armenia, where they laid flowers at a monument in the central square of Yerevan.
The ceremony was attended by Vitaly Milonov, a sanctioned member of the Russian State Duma (second from right).
Marios Fotiou (third from left) is Milonov’s close friend and confidant in Cyprus. In April 2017 he travelled with Milonov to occupied Ukrainian territory, the self-proclaimed “Donetsk People’s Republic.”
There the Duma deputy and his Cypriot companion delivered clothes, medicines, radios and telescopic sights for small arms to pro-Russian militants.
On February 26, after meeting Milonov, Andreas Theofilaktou filed the party’s registration documents with the Ministry of the Interior.
In early March, Theofilaktou attended the “World Youth Festival” in Sochi (March 1–7), a recruitment and propaganda event organized by the Kremlin (report on actioninsports.com).
On March 12 he gave an interview to the Kremlin propaganda outlet RIA Novosti, in which he said he wanted to be with the Russian people and to develop ties with Russia.
There is no doubt that this is a special operation by the Russian intelligence services to place their agents at various levels of government in Cyprus.
An operation involving someone like Milonov can only be carried out with the approval of the FSB leadership and with the involvement of the Russian Embassy.
