Marianne Elizabeth 🕊️

Jacques Baud: Sanctioned by the EU, a Swiss Colonel Challenges Censorship and the Loss of Neutrality On December 15, 2025, the European Union added former Swiss Colonel Jacques Baud to its sanctions list for “pro-Russian propaganda” and “destabilizing activities.” Asset freeze, ban on entry into the territory of the 27 member states: measures usually reserved for operators based outside the EU. The problem: Baud lives in Belgium, right in the heart of the sanctioned area. On December 23, in a lengthy interview given to L’Impertinent TV, he delivers a scathing analysis of the personal consequences, the political undercurrents, and the democratic drift revealed by this case. Far from being defeated, the former intelligence officer retains his sense of humor and clarity. From the very first minutes, Jacques Baud describes the concrete reality of the sanctions. “I no longer have the right to buy a baguette,” he says with irony. Bank cards blocked, book royalties frozen, intra-European travel prohibited: everyday life has become an obstacle course. To survive, he had to request a humanitarian derogation – a procedure normally reserved for extreme cases. He also discusses the limited usefulness of an online crowdfunding campaign for legal fees: any payment could be interpreted as an attempt to circumvent the sanctions. Beyond the material aspects, Baud highlights the core issue: a political decision, not a judicial one. No hearing, no opportunity for prior defense, complete reversal of the burden of proof. “Guilt is presumed,” he summarizes. He claims that France was behind the proposal, despite Bern’s official silence. The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) initially implied it had no contact with him, only to hastily correct its statement after media pressure: “Stop saying we are not in contact!” The interview dwells at length on the evolution of Switzerland. Baud laments the abandonment of its historic neutrality, once active and mediating (Geneva, good offices). Today, it is interpreted as a form of disguised partisanship. He cites the example of Justice Minister Beat Jans, whose public statements on the case were perceived as insulting. Swiss ambassadors, he argues, have failed in their duty to protect citizens. “We are witnessing the collapse of institutions,” he observes. An entire section is devoted to the drift of Swiss media, particularly RTS (Radio Télévision Suisse). Baud recalls blatant cases of disinformation, such as the erroneous coverage of the 2022 drone incident in Poland, presented as a Russian attack before any verification. He even mentions the troubling case of a French-speaking Swiss journalist whose writings allegedly influenced Anders Breivik before the 2011 Utøya massacre. Regarding an attempted contact by an RTS journalist, he corrects the record: “I was busy; she announced that I had refused to speak.” These examples, for him, illustrate a long-standing loss of rigor and independence. Baud places the sanctions in a broader context: the shift from a confident Cold War to an information Darwinism driven by fear and leading to censorship. “Back then, you could read Pravda without being bothered; today, a dissenting opinion is enough to get you sanctioned.” He predicts a boomerang effect: far from isolating dissenting voices, these measures create martyrs and amplify their international audience. “If you sanction someone for that, the whole of Europe should be condemned,” he declares. Despite the difficulties – complete loss of income sources, a potentially solitary Christmas – Baud refuses to be discouraged. “I’m not the type to let myself be broken,” he repeats. He maintains that his analyses of Ukraine and other conflicts have never amounted to propaganda, but rather to rigorous work based on facts and open sources. “Being pro-Russian is not a crime,” he insists. He recalls always having refused invitations from Russian media, preferring to preserve his independence.

Trump just attacked Venezuela and kidnapped Maduro which is illegal under U.S. and international law. According to the U.S. Constitution, a president may NOT initiate an attack on a foreign nation without congressional approval.

Us, the private sector, that’s where. One person’s income is always the result of someone else’s spending. When government spends it sustains a deficit, so that the households and businesses have a surplus which we need to function, to spend and save.