ISD’s report on pro-Kremlin Twitter users shared by major Italian newspapers ahead of elections

ISD analysed a set of 500 Italian pro-Kremlin Twitter accounts in the lead up to the Sept 25 general elections. We found that the accounts began sharing COVID-19 misinformation during the pandemic from various sources, and have since remained loyal to said sources. Since then the news sources have shared pro-Kremlin information regarding the Ukraine war, and ahead of the election, it seemed that the only mainstream parties receiving favourable coverage were League and Five State moment.

Our Dispatch covering our findings was shared in major Italian newspapers like La Republicca, La Stampa, Il Secolo XIX and various sites under the GEDI publishing group (Messaggero Veneto, La Nuova Di Venezia, Il Piccolo, La Provincia Pavese, Corriere delle Alpi, Il Mattino di Padova, Gazzetta di Mantova, La Sentinella, Tribuna di Treviso and Italian Tech).