Russian propaganda has deeply infiltrated Italy, particularly through soft power tools such as culture and historical distortion. As a result, older generations of Italians generally do not see Russia as a direct security threat to their country.
This was stated in an interview with Ukrinform by Svitlana Tereshchenko, an Italian activist of Ukrainian origin who promotes Ukrainian culture in Italy through educational events.
When asked whether Italians perceive Russia as a threat, she replied:
“It seems that most do not. They don’t feel it. But if you think about it, there are also many Russians in Italy. What if, one day, the Kremlin declares it is going to ‘protect Russian speakers’ in Italy? What then?”
“They don’t understand what it means to live under Russian oppression. They never experienced the GULAGs, the executed generations, the Soviet Union… That happened only to us, and we don’t want it to happen again,” Tereshchenko emphasized.
Commenting on Russia’s cultural and historical distortion tactics, she noted: “In Italy, it is very evident how Russia dominates the cultural space.”
She recalled organizing a visit for Italian journalists to Ukraine after Russia’s full-scale invasion. The reporters were astonished by the beauty of Ukrainian cities and asked: “How did we not know about this European gem for so long?”
“When you tell them that Kyivan Rus’ was one of the most powerful medieval empires, where 70% of dynastic marriages were made with Western European families, or remind them of Anna of Kyiv, they are completely unaware of this history,” she explained.
“Italians do not see Ukraine’s historical value in Europe. Instead, they hold a romanticized view of ‘Great Russian culture’,” Tereshchenko added. She stressed that Ukrainians abroad must share Ukraine’s rich heritage and counter Russia’s historical manipulation.
She pointed out that European-style Russian culture, unlike Western European or Ukrainian culture, lacks a Baroque period. This suggests that Moscow adopted European narratives only in recent history, rather than developing them organically.
Tereshchenko also mentioned how former Italian Ambassador to Ukraine, Pier Francesco Zazo, confirmed that Italy’s academic sphere has a pro-Russian bias.
“He told me that pro-Ukrainian scholars were pushed out of academia. For example, the Ukrainian studies department in Venice was shut down,” she said.
She explained that Italian professors were educated with pro-Soviet textbooks, where any research about Ukraine required approval from Moscow.
“They don’t even realize that history can be so distorted,” she noted.
“What we consider basic historical facts are not known to Europeans. We must start from the foundations when explaining Ukraine’s history to them,” Tereshchenko emphasized.
Despite Russian influence, younger Italians seem to better understand Russia’s aggression, largely due to Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s pro-Ukrainian stance.
“They understand that Russia violated another country’s borders, invaded foreign land, and that this is wrong,” Tereshchenko said.
As previously reported, Giorgia Meloni has called for an urgent summit between the United States, European nations, and allies to discuss joint responses to global challenges, particularly Russia’s war against Ukraine.
2025-03-03 01:29:00 ,
