Kremlin propaganda continues its work in Western European countries. An article by Eliseo Bertolasi, head of the Italian branch of the “International Russophile Movement,” has appeared in the International Affairs magazine. From the very name of the organization, the thrust of Mr. Bertolasi’s rhetoric is already clear. First and foremost, he criticizes the Italian authorities over their foreign policy:
“But what are the priorities of the Italian government? Social welfare, healthcare, prosperity, jobs? No! The main thing is to convince Italians of the necessity of war with Russia. Apparently because Russia is a dictator and an aggressor state. This campaign of persuasion is methodical and carried out daily through the leading media outlets”.
The false contrast between foreign and domestic policy is a classic technique that Russian propagandists are increasingly emphasizing for foreign audiences. The idea is that politicians should first deal with internal problems and ignore what is happening in the world — regardless of how closely those global events are connected to domestic issues. At the same time, there is a clear attempt to shift responsibility for the Kremlin’s aggressive policies onto EU countries — suggesting that it is they who are preparing to attack Russia, rather than the other way around:
“The true goal of this hysteria is clear:
- to frighten people with the fairy tale that “Putin will come and eat you”;
- to present war with Russia as inevitable;
- to justify transferring hundreds of billions in public funds to the military industry;
- to suppress all protests and give Brussels full freedom of action. And those who try to protest are immediately accused of being fascists, racists, homophobes, Putinists… Any criticism, even simple doubts, is forbidden”.
It is ironic how Kremlin propagandists, who openly glorify “Russian weapons” and proudly report on the growth of Russia’s military-industrial complex, react so negatively to increased defense spending and related industries in other countries — especially Western ones.
Another key narrative is blaming EU leadership for all problems and portraying Brussels as a center seeking to expand its influence at the expense of member states’ independence, disregarding their interests. Moscow seeks to create an image of an enemy onto whom everything can be blamed. All of this serves a central objective: undermining European unity and solidarity. Note an interesting detail here: Putinism is placed in the same category as fascism, racism, and homophobia. Quite the company.
Against this backdrop, Russia is portrayed almost as a bastion of democracy — supposedly a paradise for ordinary citizens, especially compared to other states:
“While in “democratic” Ukraine, champion of “Western values”, a methodical effort has for many years been underway to destroy everything historically linking the country to Russia — falsification of history, destruction of Russian culture and language, persecution of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate — we see no such attitude on the part of Russia”.
Russia has just invaded a neighboring country and is attempting to destroy it — what’s the problem? — ask figures like Bertolasi, cynically comparing armed aggression and the deaths of hundreds of thousands with a sovereign state’s legitimate struggle against the intelligence networks of a neighboring country pursuing expansionist policies. This is straight from the Kremlin’s playbook — trivialization and false equivalence. And it extends beyond Ukraine:
“However, if one looks at the West, it is not hard to imagine that if you tear away the artificial golden curtain shrouding it with concepts such as “democracy”, “freedom”, and “freedom of speech”, underneath there would remain a harsh authoritarian society, closed-minded and intolerant of any form of pluralism”.
It is worth noting that this pamphlet was written from sunny Italy, and nothing threatens its author there — while in Russia people are routinely arrested for “discrediting the army” and similar charges. In sum, Moscow continues to promote a broad set of false narratives aimed both at whitewashing its war against Ukraine and other aspects of the Kremlin’s aggressive policy, and at undermining unity within the EU and destabilizing its member states politically.
