Italy Questions Russians Over Their Goodwill Virus Gestures
Italy Questions Russians Over Their Goodwill Virus Gestures
(Bloomberg) -- President Vladimir Putin’s bid to help Italy fight its coronavirus outbreak triggered a war of words after news reports questioned the sincerity of Russia’s initiative.
While Italy’s government has welcomed the aid, the Defense Ministry in Moscow expressed outrage after mainstream newspaper La Stampa said most of it missed the mark and that some military staff sent by Russia were spies. The accusation from Moscow that La Stampa was “digging its own grave” with Russophobic fake news prompted Italy to remind Russia about the value of press freedom.
The backlash is a reminder of the pitfalls for Putin as his goodwill coup in the country with the most coronavirus deaths worldwide runs up against doubts about his motives. With Italy’s hospitals buckling and its economy collapsing, resentment at its European Union partners for restricting medical exports helped open the door to China and Russia.
The aid — accompanied by stickers saying “From Russia with Love” — includes doctors, nurses, disinfection teams and supplies such as ventilators and personal protective equipment, according to the Italian government. Russia says it’s helping staff a 142-bed hospital near the northern city of Bergamo, an early cluster of the outbreak.
“Our country can only be grateful” for the solidarity of many countries, including Russia, the Italian defense and foreign ministries said in a joint statement Friday.
But they condemned “the inopportune tone of certain expressions” by the Russian Defense Ministry about Italian media coverage. “Freedom of expression and the right to criticize are fundamental values of our country,” the ministries said in the statement.
Maurizio Molinari, editor-in-chief of La Stampa, which is owned by Italy’s Agnelli family, said in an online response that he was saddened by the “blatant disregard” for press freedom displayed by the Russian spokesman’s “insults.”
Putin’s opportunistic diplomacy follows a long courtship of officials in Rome, who are among the biggest advocates of a rapprochement with Moscow within the EU and NATO. For any geopolitical rivals seeking to undermine EU unity, Italy is a weak link, since many of its voters blame the euro for decades of economic malaise and are inclined to back populist and euroskeptic parties.
It’s also an opportunity for Putin to tout Russia’s global reach to his home audience. Video on state television after the Russians landed in March showed military trucks on Italian roads with Russian flags fluttering.
Cold War Evoked
With the humanitarian narrative under attack in Italy, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov accused La Stampa in a Facebook post of seeking to “discredit the Russian mission.” Russian and Italian military doctors are working side by side to save lives in Bergamo, he said.
La Stampa is “fueling Russophobic fake news worthy of the Cold War” and “digging its own grave,” he said. Konashenkov didn’t respond to a request for comment on Italy’s response.
La Stampa has run articles saying the Russian material is 80% useless. While China and other countries sent face masks and ventilators, Russia has sent gear used to counter bacteriological warfare, like field laboratories, the newspaper said.
Russian biological warfare experts have deployed in the area around Bergamo without informing Italian authorities and the military personnel includes intelligence operatives, according to La Stampa.
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