The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed that Italy’s NATO and European allies failed to help it fight the Corona virus pandemic and tried to tarnish the image of Russia that supported the efforts of the Italian government.
“Unfortunately, an unfriendly wave has emerged, but we prefer not to draw attention to hype and propaganda,” Deputy Russian Defense Minister Major General Alexander Fomin said in an interview with “Zvezda” channel on Saturday. We believe that this situation is caused by the failure of the Western countries, that is, the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, to implement the capabilities of the coalition and display a united spirit within their bloc.
Fomen pointed out that a number of Western countries, in response to the Russian military assistance to Italy, “resorted to unscrupulous methods such as political blackmail and accusations of espionage” and the use of “hybrid methods”.
He stressed that the Russian Ministry of Defense seeks not to pay attention to such false leaks and focus on performing its work.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conti agreed, in a phone call on March 21, to Russia to provide urgent assistance to Italy in its fight against the Corona virus.
From March 22 to 25 last March, 15 Russian aircraft arrived in Italy, transporting about 100 Russian military experts in the field of viruses and epidemics, 8 teams of doctors and nurses, and equipment for monitoring the virus and for sanitation.
Source: Zvezda + Tass
