Russian funding claims spice up Italian election

FILE PHOTO: A symbol of the leaders of far-right parties Giorgia Meloni of Fratelli d'Italia, Matteo Salvini of League and Silvio Berlusconi of Forza Italia is displayed as Italy will hold a snap election on September 25, in Rome, Italy, August 23, 2022. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane/File Photo

ROME (Reuters) - U.S. claims that Russia has given at least $300 million to political parties in more than two dozen countries sent a jolt through Italy's election campaign on Wednesday, with right-wing leaders denying they had received clandestine cash.

The U.S. State Department on Tuesday released a summary of a recent U.S. intelligence review of Russian efforts to influence foreign politics, including support for unnamed far-right nationalist parties.