Russian nationals in Italy are offering Italians money to film themselves thanking Russia and President Vladimir Putin for recent coronavirus aid, Italy’s La Repubblica newspaper reported Sunday. Russia dispatched army medics in March to help disinfect hospitals and care facilities in a northern Italian region that has been hit hardest by the country's coronavirus outbreak. The aid was followed by allegations that most of the Russian supplies were useless and that some of Russia’s contingent included spies, which Moscow dismissed as “Cold War fake news.”

news Italy and Russia Spar Over Alleged Coronavirus Spies Read more

According to La Repubblica, potential recruits are offered 200 euros ($218) via WhatsApp to post one thank-you video on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram intended for an unnamed Russian media outlet. “They need 15 Italians who say something good about Russian humanitarian aid,” reads one of the WhatsApp messages, which were allegedly sent by Russians living and studying in Italy. Text-based thank-you notes are said to pay less. An unnamed Italian TikTok user who posted a short thank-you clip told La Repubblica that her friend got paid 20 euros for a similar video. “It’s premature to argue that the 200-euro video ‘campaign’ is part of some strategy [...] but suspicion remains,” the newspaper wrote.