Moscow ‘has a strong foothold’ in Italian towns with a far-right presence
At the local museum in the central Italian town of Foligno, some 80 people gathered on Sunday to watch a Kremlin-backed propaganda film about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The Witness — which depicts Ukrainian soldiers as Nazis pledging allegiance to Hitler, waving Mein Kampf and committing atrocities — played to empty cinemas in Russia last year. But the film is now being shown across Italy at special screenings organised by Moscow-friendly groups.
More recently, Nona Mikhelidze, senior fellow at Rome’s Institute of International Affairs, said Moscow has nurtured a wide network of local level civic groups to promote Russia’s cause, especially in the industrialised north — the League’s traditional stronghold. “In these last 10 to 15 years, Russia invested a lot to create these city-level cultural associations on Russian-Italian friendship,” Mikhelidze said. “Where the League is present, Russia has a strong foothold.