Since the onset of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the European Union has restricted access to the Kremlin-funded broadcaster RT (formerly Russia Today) in the bloc. However, research has consistently shown that RT and other sanctioned Russian outlets have been actively circumventing these restrictions for years through networks of proxy websites and spin-off outlets targeting European countries. ISD found that pro-Kremlin operations in Italy have increasingly combined on- and offline components, maximising their reach and effectively breaching EU sanctions on the “transmission or distribution by any means” of RT content.
Analysts found pro-Kremlin accounts promoting pro-Russian propaganda films and posters across Italy. These accounts are part of a network that includes Italian ‘independent journalists’ reporting from Russian-occupied Ukraine, former anti-lockdown groups, and both Italian and Russian officials. Content with this network reached almost two million users over the 60-day period from 1 January to 1 March 2025.
Read the full investigation here.
The pressroom
ISD investigation: "How Russia Today is evading sanctions and spreading pro-Kremlin propaganda in Italy"
ISD investigation: "How Russia Today is evading sanctions and spreading pro-Kremlin propaganda in Italy"
Press release -
Published on tuesday 13th may 2025 at 18h49
Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD) researchers have found that RT’s online content continues to reach EU member states, including Italy, despite sanctions. This Investigation shows how sanctions evasion extends into the offline space through a series of RT-sponsored documentary screenings taking place across Italy. Though portrayed as independent journalism, these screenings are an extension of Russian influence efforts: they aim to promote false narratives about the war in Ukraine and bolster support for Moscow’s agenda in Italy.
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This report has been released as part of the research project titled "Exploring the interplay between pro-Kremlin ecosystems and extremist movements in Europe", co-funded by the European Media and Information Fund (EMIF).
The sole responsibility for any content supported by EMIF lies with the author(s) and it may not necessarily reflect the positions of the EMIF and the Fund Partners, the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and the European University Institute