Skip to the story
All stories

Peskov dismisses Russia's involvement in European unrest as absurd

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that accusations of Russian involvement in European protests are no longer taken seriously.

AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made

Published
Peskov dismisses Russia's involvement in European unrest as absurd

What this story says

  • Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that accusations of Russia's involvement in European unrest are absurd and no longer taken seriously.
  • Mass protests occurred in Paris and other French cities on October 17, escalating into riots with property damage and attacks on police.
  • Russian President Vladimir Putin approved Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin's proposals for a government reshuffle.
  • Dmitry Peskov indicated that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Russia would likely take place in 2027.

Who covered it

Left 13%(1)Centre 24%(2)Right 63%(5)

Percentages are shares of the 8 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 5 of the 13 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .

Trust

42/100

Craft

45/100

Hype

20/100

13 sources · methodology

Thin on the left so far

Only 1 of the 8 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated left.

This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated on Monday that accusations of Russia's involvement in unrest in Europe are absurd and are no longer taken seriously. Peskov told Zvezda News that "Nobody anywhere takes such absurd accusations seriously anymore. Not even in Europe itself." His comments followed mass protests in Paris and other French cities on October 17, which escalated into riots involving property damage and attacks on police. The Russian Foreign Ministry has also rejected claims that Russia and Iran organised protests in Albania. Maria Zakharova, a spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, published a video contrasting statements from European leaders about Russia with footage of unrest in France, Italy, and Albania.

In addition to commenting on European unrest, Peskov announced that Russian President Vladimir Putin approved Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin's proposals for a government reshuffle. Mishustin presented these proposals during a meeting with Putin. Peskov also indicated that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Russia would likely take place in 2027. This follows the tradition of annual meetings between the leaders of Russia and India under their 2000 declaration on strategic partnership.

Disagreement on Modi's visit timing

While Dmitry Peskov indicated that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Russia would likely take place in 2027, one report stated the visit would most likely take place next year. The Express Tribune reported Peskov saying the visit would most likely take place next year, while fakti.bg reported Peskov stating the visit would likely take place in 2027.

What the coverage left out

None of the right-rated digests mention Maria Zakharova publishing a video contrasting European leaders' statements with footage of unrest, nor do they mention the Russian Foreign Ministry rejecting claims that Russia and Iran organised protests in Albania. The left-rated report from fakti.bg is the only one to mention these specific actions by Zakharova and the Foreign Ministry.

Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 3 times, most recently on 19 Oct 2026, 20:45, and will add the sides that appear.

How each side covered it

Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.

Left

1 rated outlet

  • The left-rated report from fakti.bg led with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov calling accusations of Russian involvement in EU protests "absurd". It reported that Maria Zakharova published a video contrasting European leaders' statements about Russia with footage of unrest in France, Italy, and Albania, and that the Russian Foreign Ministry rejected claims of Russia and Iran organising protests in Albania. The report also mentioned Peskov's comments on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's likely visit in 2027 and a hypothetical meeting between Putin, Trump, and Xi.

Centre

2 rated outlets

  • The centre-rated reports from The Express Tribune and TRT World led with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissing allegations of Russia's involvement in European unrest. Both reports mentioned that Peskov stated President Putin had backed proposed government changes. The Express Tribune also noted Peskov's comment that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's next visit to Russia would take place in 2027, and that Putin's combined call-in show and annual news conference is scheduled for December. TRT World's digest also included the detail about Modi's visit.

Right

5 rated outlets

  • The right-rated reports from anews.com.tr, Anadolu Ajansı, Interfax.ru, news-pravda.com, and vz.ru focused on Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissing allegations of Russia's involvement in European unrest as absurd. Several reports, including Anadolu Ajansı and Interfax.ru, also mentioned that Peskov stated President Putin approved Prime Minister Mishustin's proposals for a government reshuffle. Interfax.ru quoted Peskov stating that the riots in Europe bordered on chaos but were an internal matter. News-pravda.com and vz.ru highlighted Peskov's statement that no one takes such accusations seriously, even in Europe.

Questions about this coverage

How did the left and right cover Peskov dismisses Russia's involvement in European unrest as absurd?
Of the 8 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 13% are rated left, 24% are rated centre, 63% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 13. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
Is Peskov dismisses Russia's involvement in European unrest as absurd left or right?
Too few of the outlets on this story carry a published leaning rating to say. 8 of them do, and this site does not characterise a field under 12: at that size one newsroom filing moves the share by ten points. The percentages above are the count as it stands.
Is the coverage of Peskov dismisses Russia's involvement in European unrest as absurd biased?
Peskov dismisses Russia's involvement in European unrest as absurd is one event reported by 13 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
Which side is not reporting Peskov dismisses Russia's involvement in European unrest as absurd?
When we first saw this story, outlets rated left had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
Which outlets covered Peskov dismisses Russia's involvement in European unrest as absurd?
13 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
What did the Kremlin spokesman say about accusations of Russian involvement in European unrest?
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called accusations of Russia's involvement in European unrest "absurd" and stated that they are no longer taken seriously, even within Europe itself. He made these remarks in an interview with Zvezda News.
What protests were occurring in Europe at the time of these statements?
Mass protests took place in Paris and other French cities on October 17. These demonstrations escalated into riots in some locations, involving property damage and attacks on police. Protests were also mentioned in Albania.
What other government news did Dmitry Peskov announce?
Dmitry Peskov announced that Russian President Vladimir Putin approved Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin's proposals for a government reshuffle. Mishustin presented these proposals to Putin during a working meeting.
When is Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expected to visit Russia?
Dmitry Peskov indicated that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Russia would likely take place in 2027. This aligns with the tradition of annual meetings between the leaders of Russia and India.

Read it at the source

13 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.

Left

1

Centre

2

Right

5

Not rated

5

How did this read?

About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.

Peskov on Russia's role in Europe | MediaBias News