The FT’s attack on Vannacci, “Moscow’s Trojan horse”

The Financial Times has devoted a lengthy article to Roberto Vannacci, describing him as a possible “Trojan horse” for Russian influence in Italy. The general has always rejected the label of being pro-Russian, describing himself as “pro-Italian”. Yet Moscow has been crossing his path for years – first militarily, then politically. When Roberto Vannacci arrived in the Russian capital in early 2021, John Foreman was the defence attaché at the British Embassy. NATO had suspended cooperation with Russia years earlier following the annexation of Crimea, yet Vannacci was attempting to reopen a channel of communication, including on the military front.

In the Financial Times, Foreman remembers him as an affable, self-assured man. Above all, as ‘that sort of Italian military man’ who was convinced that Russia should remain a partner. ‘He thought we shouldn’t have a clash with Russia’ (‘Let bygones be bygones’: the past is the past). Vannacci was pushing for Rome to resume military cooperation with Moscow, which had been on hold since 2014; he struggled (and still struggles) to regard Russia as a threat to European security. The general also showed a certain affinity with Putin’s “strong hand” and with the narrative of a country to which the Kremlin had restored discipline and order. “He’s a bit of an authoritarian.” A few months later, with Russian troops massed around Ukraine, Vannacci remained convinced that there would be no invasion. According to Foreman, this assessment was influenced by “his affinity towards Russia and the regime”, his limited understanding of the historical context, and also “his self-perception and his ego”. When the war began, Vannacci continued to place his trust in Russian military strength. He told the Italian ambassador, Giorgio Starace, that the Russian army would enter Ukraine “like a knife through butter” and that Kyiv would fall quickly.

Following his time in Moscow, his relationship with Russia remains a constant feature of Vannacci’s life story. He himself has recounted that his interest in Russian life and culture was also fuelled by his wife, Camelia Mihăilescu, a Romanian and the daughter of an army officer. In 2023, she recalled the years spent in Moscow with her husband and two daughters as “one of the most fantastic periods” of her life. Russia then reappears in Il Mondo al contrario and today in the Futuro Nazionale programme. The party’s manifesto calls for “re-establishing channels of communication with the Russian Federation”, partly with a view to reducing energy costs, and even lists Italy’s relationship with NATO among the options to be discussed.