Moscow and the far right

When I read this story today, I decided to invite Michael Weiss on the podcast to discuss it.

HOW RUSSIA BACKS EUROPE’S FAR RIGHT

Emails and documents show just how closely Italian, French, German and Austrian politicians coordinate with Moscow

“Last November, during Matteo’s working visit to Moscow, my boss arranged a private meeting with him, renting a room on the same floor of the Lotte Hotel to prevent the Western press from catching wind of the meeting.”

So wrote Mikhail Yakushev, a Russian national, in a Microsoft Word document he emailed to himself on June 18, 2019. Yakushev is the director of Tsargrad, an organization in Russia that describes itself as a group of companies whose mission is “the revival of the greatness of the Russian Empire.”

“Matteo” referred to Matteo Salvini, the former Italian deputy prime minister and interior minister and current leader of the League, Italy’s nationalist and anti-migrant party. Now a senator in Italy’s upper chamber of Parliament, Salvini has been an avowed admirer of Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom in 2019 he labeled “the best statesman currently on earth.” …

If Tsargrad is ringing a bell, it’s because we’ve published their lunatic ravings in our Russian-language International Translation Superhighway. Here’s what’s on the front page of Tsargrad today, via Google Translate.

• Vladimir Putin: “Cancel culture” in the West has turned into the cancellation of culture

• The truth about the tragedy of MH17 will not be silenced

• The expert named three main points in Ukraine: When we take them, the victory will be ours

• The fate of Ukraine is predetermined. America is “washing its hands”

• Neither Lviv nor Odessa: Redistribution of Ukraine in Polish. The map is ready

• Russia proposed to “change” passports

• Three facts about Russia that will surprise you: The main thing for the night and morning of March 25

• "This is a high-risk rate": Putin trolled the West by transferring gas payment to rubles - Politico