The FvD has also been criticized for alleged financial and politics ties to Vladimir Putin with Dutch television show Zembla claiming to have unearthed WhatsApp communications between the party and someone Baudet describes as a Kremlin official. Baudet claimed the messages were a "playful exaggeration." Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the FvD's leadership have been condemned by both former party members and other Dutch political parties for supporting the invasion, taking an overtly pro-Putin stance and blaming the West for the war. In October 2022, the party's remaining MEP was suspended (and subsequently resigned) from the Identity and Democracy European Parliamentary group after posting messages on Twitter praising Putin and expressing support for Russia in the war.
