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Italy and Russia: a never-ending love story

In Italy, public scepticism about Russia’s war in Ukraine has grown, with recent polls showing declining support for Kyiv and rising neutrality. Some political figures, from both the right and the left, have tapped into this sentiment, highlighting its broad appeal across the spectrum. Understanding this trend requires looking at Italy’s unique political history, including the enduring legacy of its communist party during the Cold War.

September 27, 2025 - Aleksej Tilman - AnalysisIssue 5 2025Magazine

An anti-war protest against the invasion of Ukraine in Rome in March of 2022. In 2025, 57 per cent of Italians did not support either Russia or Ukraine thanks in part to ongoing efforts by pro-Russian voices in the Italian media. Photo: Petro Artem / Shutterstock

“In 2022 we blamed Russia for the war in Ukraine, while in reality the responsibility for it is 50/50. Both NATO and Russia had competed over Ukraine.” This quote comes from a long speech by Marco Travaglio, an Italian journalist, during the èStoria festival, held in the city of Gorizia in May 2025. Travaglio conceded that the Russian leader Vladimir Putin “is an autocrat”, but the core of his argument was that the West had conspired to provoke Russia into war since the 1990s as part of a strategy to weaken it. He also described Ukraine as a divided country where fascist ideology plays a significant role.

These views, including some elements of Russian propaganda under the guise of neutrality, are neither new nor surprising. Travaglio has been voicing similar lines since before the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. He portrays himself as an outcast in the Italian media landscape, which, he claims, is dominated by “warmongers” – his label for those who support Ukraine’s right to defend itself.

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