Maria Karystianou’s “pro-Russian influences”: The businessman, the professor, the journalist

Three individuals playing a peculiarly progressive relation successful Maria Karystianou’s party, which volition beryllium officially announced the time aft tomorrow, Thursday, from Thessaloniki, are giving the task a “pro-Russian tint.” They are businessman Giannis Moisidis, who maintains some a idiosyncratic and concern narration with the 53-year-old pediatrician; the president of the Greek Community of Saint Petersburg, Stratos Siourdakis, who teaches Greek successful Russia and Russian online to Greeks; and seasoned writer Thanasis Avgerinos, who has been based successful Moscow since arsenic acold backmost arsenic 1986 and is expected to go the party’s property spokesperson.

Mr. Moisidis is among the venture’s astir fervent online supporters, portion Mr. Siourdakis was the 1 who, without immoderate anterior coordination, livestreamed via Facebook the signature postulation process for the caller party, having grasped the interaction of societal media. Thanasis Avgerinos, with the connection “I couldn’t perchance beryllium absent,” signaled the progressive relation helium is expected to person from present on.

The Greek antheral down the Russian GPS

An important nexus successful the concatenation connecting Karystianou’s enactment with Russia is businessman Giannis Moisidis, with whom Maria Karystianou maintains a adjacent idiosyncratic relationship, portion the 2 besides stock a company. The institution is WhereaboutTravels, successful which each holds a 50% stake.

Mr. Moisidis, begetter of 2 children, is simply a antheral with wide concern enactment successful Greece and the Netherlands, arsenic good arsenic successful countries specified arsenic Hungary, the Czech Republic, and the United Arab Emirates, according to his LinkedIn profile. Having studied successful Belgium and Great Britain, Mr. Moisidis’s main country of enactment is navigation systems.

Businessman Giannis Moisidis

As helium himself notes connected his LinkedIn page, successful 2011–12 helium participated arsenic a peculiar adept connected the committee of NIS, a institution progressive with Russia’s state-run Glonass bureau — the Russian State Satellite Services Provider (Russia’s GPS system). In fact, accusation suggests helium was the lone non-Russian to clasp adjacent a non-executive spot connected the organization’s board. According to reports, his introduction onto the committee came pursuing the replacement of then-Civil Protection Minister and aboriginal Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. During that period, Mr. Moisidis is said to person developed ties with high-ranking Russian authorities officials, which helium reportedly inactive maintains. Later, successful 2014, Mr. Moisidis moved to Dubai arsenic managing manager of Space Team Int. The institution is described arsenic a Russian startup promoting Russian telematics exertion successful the Gulf region. Using the aforesaid technology, Mr. Moisidis was besides astatine that clip managing manager of Whereabout Ltd successful Abu Dhabi.

On September 13, 2022, Giannis Moisidis and Maria Karystianou founded the institution Whereabout Travels, headquartered successful Epanomi, Thessaloniki. The concern enactment concerns existent estate, including spot management, the operation and renovation of homes and tourer accommodations, arsenic good arsenic the enactment of question packages. According to the fiscal information published successful the General Commercial Registry (GEMI), successful the 2 equilibrium sheets for fiscal years 2023 and 2024, the institution posted revenues of €1,978 and losses exceeding €11,000 successful full for the 2 years. In 2024, the 2 partners each contributed €150,000 to the company.

Russian lessons

The 2nd idiosyncratic adjacent to Maria Karystianou with a nonstop transportation to Russia, wherever helium has been professionally progressive for astatine slightest 12 years, is Stratos Siourdakis, the antheral down the video of the signature postulation astatine Ms. Gratsia’s office.

According to accusation connected his page, pursuing the Center for Greek Language Studies helium operates successful Saint Petersburg, Mr. Siourdakis besides launched a corresponding online Center for Russian Language Studies. One of his students, arsenic helium himself revealed, is 1980s straight-to-video histrion Nikos Ziagkos.

As 1 tin work connected Mr. Siourdakis’s page: “The Center for Greek Language Studies, which we run successful Saint Petersburg, has already earned the spot of thousands of students, and present we are acceptable to grow our cognition and services, providing each funny idiosyncratic the accidental to prosecute with the Russian connection astatine a exemplary halfway unsocial of its kind, straight connected to the bosom of Russia.” It is besides noted that “the accidental we connection is not constricted solely to connection studies. Through our Center, you volition beryllium capable to physique ties with radical from Russia, to consciousness familiarity adjacent earlier arriving successful Saint Petersburg. Our web supports you each measurement of the way, making you consciousness that you are not alone.” Mr. Siourdakis besides appears peculiarly progressive connected societal media — 1 of his accounts adjacent displays his sanction successful Russian — portion successful 1 of his videos helium expresses admiration for Russian civilization and tradition, utilizing arsenic an illustration a young antheral successful accepted attire.

The Lomonosov graduate

A postgraduate of the prestigious Lomonosov University, archetypal successful doctrine and aboriginal successful journalism, Thanasis Avgerinos was calved successful Zografou and settled successful what was past the Soviet Union successful 1986.

For decades helium has worked arsenic a analogous for Greek media outlets successful Russia. He has besides served arsenic a analogous for the Athens-Macedonian News Agency (ANA-MPA). During sum of the Russian penetration of Ukraine, his on-air clashes with Open TV’s Berlin analogous Pantelis Valassopoulos person repeatedly gone viral.