According to Moscow's envoy to Rome, Mr Crosetto is “guilty” of raising the alarm about a possible World War III if Russian tanks arrive in Kyiv. “I do not have time to deal with diplomatic relations”, he replied
“I don’t have time for this”. On Thursday evening, the Russian Ambassador to Italy, Sergey Razov, denounced what he called the “demonisation” of his country, particularly by Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto.
- According to the Russian diplomat, Mr Crosetto is “guilty” of raising the alarm about a possible World War III if Russian tanks arrive in Kyiv. “I do not believe that the defence minister of a country that has had a well-known role in triggering World War II should be talking about WWIII”, Mr Razov told Russian news agency Ria Novosti in an interview.
- “I am in charge of Italy’s defence”, DM Crosetto replied, “I do not have time to deal with diplomatic relations”.
The Kremlin keeps at it. It’s not the first time the Italian DM has become the focus of a Russian propaganda attack.
- In late January, Russia’s Deputy President of the Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, referred to Mr Crosetto as a “rare fool.” That was in response to Mr Crosetto calling a Russian victory in Ukraine a “step toward World War III.
- Only ten days earlier, the Russian Embassy in Italy spread misinformation about the war in Ukraine, publishing propaganda posts and images targeting Italy’s supposed military supplies to Ukraine to cast doubt on Rome’s logistical support and its effectiveness on the battlefield.
