Italian newspaper ordered to pay damages over fake ‘Putin Network’ claims

An Italian court has ordered Corriere della Sera, one of the country’s largest newspapers, to pay more than €27,000 in damages after ruling that it defamed sociology professor Alessandro Orsini.

The newspaper portrayed Orsini as a member of a supposed pro-Kremlin propaganda network operating in Italy. However, the Milan court found that the publication had failed to prove either Orsini’s involvement or the existence of the alleged network itself.