Pro-Russian posters displayed in Calabria region supporting Moscow narratives

Several cities in the southern region of Calabria were affected by the coordinated pro-Russian poster campaign that ran across Italy in 2024. CNN, reporting on 13 September 2024, listed Calabria among the areas where the material appeared after the campaign first surfaced in northern Italy in June, with billboards promoting the message that Russia is not an enemy and showing a handshake in the colours of the Italian and Russian flags.

In Lamezia Terme, Corriere della Calabria reported on 26 June 2024 that posters reading "La Russia non è mia nemica!" had appeared, echoing material seen earlier in Verona, with imagery of two clasped hands bearing the Italian and Russian colours. The posters credited an association and an agricultural company as the organisers, prompting questions about who was genuinely behind them.

A local Ukrainian community association, APS Svitanok, wrote to the mayor of Lamezia Terme and to police asking authorities to verify the legality of the affixing and to establish whether the named organisers were truly responsible, arguing that the messaging insulted the dignity of the Ukrainian people in the context of Russia's invasion.

The Calabria posters are assessed as part of a broader pro-Russian influence campaign documented across Italy in 2024. Reporting credits named local entities as organisers while highlighting doubts about who ultimately stood behind and funded the effort, which reportedly drew the interest of Italian intelligence. Any direct Russian state role remains suspected rather than established. This record may be updated as further public information emerges.