Military, radical right-wingers and think tanks linked to Russia to spread Kremlin propaganda. An effort also made in Italy. This is the picture that emerges from the report “Toy Soldiers: NATO military and intelligence officers in Russia’s active measures.” Center for Defense ReformsA Ukrainian think tank affiliated with the UK Royal United Services Institute Its chairman is Oleksandr V Danylyuk, former advisor to the Kyiv Ministry of Defense.
“It destabilizes the European Union and hinders support for Kiev.”
It is a document from the Ukrainian study center open source and is therefore based on open sources from former military officers and intelligence officials from eight different European countries: Norway, France, Greece, Czech Republic, Italy, Bulgaria, Spain and Germany. Here, the analysis explains that Moscow has long activated a network of contacts to carry out propaganda aimed at “destabilizing the European Union and NATO and preventing various forms of aid to Ukraine.” The person holding the strings of this dense network is Aleksandr Dugin, the ideologue of the Russian far right, whom many Western media describe as “Putin’s Rasputin” or “Putin’s brain”.
Who is Alexander Dugin, a Russian ideologue who sympathizes with Italian sovereigntists?
So how does this Russian propaganda machine work? The document highlights how Russia exploits the relationships of power and trust that political and public figures, such as soldiers, political analysts and scientists, have in key organizations and palaces of power in their countries to spread the Kremlin’s thinking.
There are several stages in which Russian propaganda activity takes place: conferences, seminars, as well as writing of newspaper articles or collaborations with Russian media, including Sputnik and Russia Today. There are also personalities placed in strategic positions in political organizations and protest movements, as well as influential study centers. Frankly, as the report underlines, this entire operation is taking place in the shadows, so as not to undermine trust or raise suspicion among the public and unaffiliated politicians.
Soldiers and politicians carrying out Russian propaganda in Italy: here they are
Italy has a special place in the Russian propaganda system in Europe. As various studies show, our country ranks high in the ranking of Russian love. As one analysis emphasizes, it will be sufficient to say this:European Council on Foreign Relations According to (ECFR) research, only 39% see Russia as an “enemy” and 15% as a “rival”; The rate of those who see it as an “ally” with whom they will share interests or a “necessary partner” with whom they will cooperate strategically is 23%. . These data confirm how easy it is for Moscow to participate in public debates.
Russia’s information influence in Italy was also a result of the political and economic ties between Rome and Moscow. Russia has often tried to influence Italy’s position in the European Union and NATO by cooperating with influential Italian politicians. Evidence of this is the various debates in the Parliament, in which the leaders of the main Italian parties did not hesitate to express their position in favor of Moscow and call for “peace”, proposing the cessation of military support to Ukraine.
The Ukraine report also focuses on this point and analyzes how the withdrawal of support for the country occupied by Russia represents the main activity of Russian agents of influence in Italy. Among the most critical voices towards Ukraine stands out Fabio Mini, the Italian Army general and NATO commander of the KFOR mission in Kosovo who has pressed for a return to economic cooperation with Russia. As the Ukrainian think tank’s analysis recalls, General Mini uses his role as a member of the scientific committee of Limes magazine to publish several articles in various national newspapers. The name of the geopolitical magazine is associated with the Limes School, whose teachers include Dmitri Trenin and Sergei Karaganov, ardent supporters of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Russian vision on the pages of Italian newspapers
The Ukrainian report also includes the names of other officers better known to the Italian public. Among them, that of General Roberto Vannacci stands out, currently one of the Union’s European parliamentarians and strongly supported by Secretary Matteo Salvini, who over the years has never hidden his pro-Russian position. Even the name of another member of the armed forces is not missing. Fabio Filomeni, lieutenant colonel of the Italian Army, is the chairman of the “World Upside Down” Committee, which was inspired by the volume of the same name published by Vannacci.
As mentioned before, Aleksandr Dugin is shown in the report as one of the central figures of Russia’s influence operations in Europe. Its connections extend to various European countries through organizations and networks that support neo-Eurasian ideology. Dugin has connections with Claudio Mutti’s Center for Eurasian and Mediterranean Studies in Italy and is also director of the journal Eurasia. From 2004 to 2011, Mutti handed over the management of Eurasia to Tiberio Graziani, a member of the supreme council of the Eurasian International Movement, which Dugin himself founded. Eurasia magazine is an example of the geopolitical project that highlights the “fourth political theory” of “Putin’s Ruspantin”.
Banquets to collect signatures
Russian propaganda also reaches out to street stalls to collect signatures for referendums and proposals. The analysis of the Ukrainian research center points to the determination of the “Committee to Stop the War”, a voluntary organization whose spokesman is Gianni Alemanno, former mayor of Rome, former Minister of Agriculture in the Berlusconi II and III governments and today an ardent opponent of Giorgia Meloni’s director .
So who are these volunteers? The Ukraine report includes famous names such as former Air Force Chief of Staff Leonardo Tricarico, former Folgore Parachute Brigade commander Marco Bertolini and retired Air Force officer Pasquale Tarantino: all determined to collect signatures. Hold a referendum against sending weapons to Ukraine.
Source: Today IT
Emma Fitzgerald is an accomplished political journalist and author at The Nation View. With a background in political science and international relations, she has a deep understanding of the political landscape and the forces that shape it.
