Who is Mikhail Andropov? The mysterious name behind 'hoax' bomb threats sent to several schools in Italy, UK, and Ireland; who is behind the threats?

At least 300 Italian schools were evacuated on Wednesday after receiving emailed bomb threats. The threats also claimed that an explosive device had been planted in Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's car. However, Meloni said that there was no "concrete danger." She said on Facebook, "At present, based on the checks carried out, no element has emerged that would suggest there is a concrete danger." Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara said that "it is clear that there is a strategy." Notably, these emails were signed by a name. It was Mikhail Andropov.

Who is Mikhail Andropov?

The full signature read, "Mikhail Andropov, leader of the Vilayat of Misoginistan." It was determined that this was certainly not a real identity. According to Reuters and Euronews, the same had earlier claimed responsibility for hoax bomb threats against newsrooms in Ireland and Bulgaria five days earlier.

In Britain and Ireland, similar hoax threats were also reported at schools, which led to some evacuations.


According to the Irish Times, Italy’s education minister, Giuseppe Valditara, believed that the alerts were hoaxes and expected the number to rise.

President of the ANP association of Italian school heads, Antonello Giannelli, issued a statement and stated that the were "clearly fake," according to Euro News. He also said, "This episode shows how much irresponsibility, when combined with the extraordinary communicative power of the tools we have today, can cause damage and disruption on a large scale."

When did the name first appear?

The name gained attention on November 6, 2026. On that day, emails carrying the subject line "Message to the West" were sent to news organisations in Europe. It included organisations from Ireland and Bulgaria. The threat was that bombs would explode within 45 minutes. The emails reportedly were signed using the name Mikhail Andropov.

Italy's Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said these school threats were part of a strategy to create fear.

But, it still remains unknown who really sent these threats. The identity of Mikhail Andropov is still a question, and it is still not known if that is a person or an organisation.