Introduction. In mass media, various aspects of interstate relations are reflected, which are of particular interest from the point of view of the language usage. It is universally accepted that the Western media system is free from the influence of state power on it, takes into account the opinions of all sectors of society, enjoys complete freedom of speech. As part of this system, the journalists of the Italian editions are considered to base on objectivity and political neutrality: they are not dependent on the influence of the party in power, they can draw their own conclusions based on logic and facts in the publications of any international events. Purpose. The purpose of this article is to analyze the language of political texts in the Italian press, traditionally considered to be free from political influence on it in the coverage of international events. Materials and methods. The articles from the publications of the Italian media “La Stampa”, “Corriere della sera”, “La Repubblica” for the years 2014–2017, devoted to Russia and, in particular, to the referendum in the Crimea have become material for the study. As far as linguistics is concerned, the referendum gives the opportunity to make up a general picture of the linguistic representation in the mass media language, the assessment of the referendum and possible stereotypes. Taking into account linguistic criteria, the authors divide the article into “pro-referendum” or “against the referendum”, identify the key words of the articles in accordance with the main themes through which the attitude to the referendum in the Italian press is manifested. Results. The analysis of linguistic facts establishes the quantitative predominance of articles “against the referendum” with politics being the dominant theme in the coverage of the referendum. Linguistic facts also show the key expressions in the Italian press during the coverage of events related to Russia. Discussion and Conclusions. The authors come to the conclusion that Italian political media texts unilaterally interpret such a global event as the Crimean referendum, including distortion of the facts, reflecting the language practices of Western and Ukrainian politicians as being against the referendum with discrete Russian quotations speaking for the referendum. Italian sources omit or even distort the real pro-causes for the referendum which suggests the conscious and targeted creation and consolidation of a negative image of Russia in the Italian press. Keywords: political text, Italian media, Italian language, global event, unilateral, Russia, Western politicians.