TALLINN, April 20. /TASS/. The Russian embassy has excoriated Ukrainian diplomats for their allegations about Russia’s role in assistance to Italy amid the coronavirus pandemic.
- Russian doctors cure 15 patients of coronavirus in Italy’s Bergamo
- Russian military medics begin treating COVID-19 patients with moderate symptoms in Bergamo
- Russian military doctors cure seven Italians from coronavirus in Bergamo
- Field hospital chief in Italy’s Bergamo lauds Russian medical aid to combat coronavirus
- 36 out of 65 care homes in Italy’s Bergamo disinfected by Russian military specialists
- Field hospital in Bergamo begins to receive COVID-19 patients
- Russian military specialists arrive in Italy’s Bergamo to help tackle coronavirus
- Russian military experts en route to Italy’s Bergamo to aid fight against COVID-19
- Russian military experts deployed to Bergamo to aid Italy in fight against COVID-19
"Against the backdrop of calls for pooling efforts in the struggle against the coronavirus pandemic, at a time when there have been ever more examples of absolutely crucial mutual assistance being provided — precisely what Russia did by sending its specialists at the request of the Italian government to the coronavirus-stricken Bergamo province — there have emerged hackneyed allegations that the Kremlin is harboring malicious schemes of upsetting democracy in Europe," the Russian embassy said. "The Ukrainian embassy in Tallinn is among such notorious prophets. It even recalled the legend about the Trojan horse. Apparently, its aim was to urge careless and lightminded Estonians to be vigilant in the face of an ostensible Russian threat."
The Russian diplomats said the motives behind their Ukrainian counterparts’ allegations were easy to explain.
"To write or say something about successes in their own country is a rather daunting, if not a hopeless task," the embassy’s statement runs. "It is enough to take a look at the comments and rather pessimistic forecasts of authoritative international organizations. It is pretty clear even without that that the country’s economy is falling apart and the people’s living standards are dwindling. Only the sale of one’s own land is presented as one of the few means of salvation. Next, come what may. In a situation like this the Ukrainian propagandists find it quite handy to use the habitual tactic — to make vocal claims about Moscow’s intrigues as the root cause of all ills."
The Russian embassy advised the Ukrainian diplomats to turn an attentive ear to the "words of thanks to the Russian rescuers by the government in Rome and ordinary Italians" and to address the people of Estonia not in English, but in Russian, spoken by about 70% of the country’s population.
The Ukrainian embassy in Estonia last week tweeted several posts in English claiming that Russian assistance to Italy was an attempt to destabilize the European Union and NATO.
Russian “humanitarian aid to Italy" is one of many Kremlin’s steps aimed at strengthening EU-skepticism feelings -creating the impression that it's Russia who helps Italy, while Europe left it alone. Thus, RF tries to destabilize the EU and NATO, undermine its unity and integrity pic.twitter.com/B16dPxmAwN
— UKR Embassy in EST (@UKRinEST) April 18, 2020
Russian aid to Italy
On March 22-25, fifteen Russian planes delivered to Italy 100 Russian military virologists and Defense Ministry specialists in epidemiology, eight teams of doctors and nurses and diagnostic and disinfection equipment.
Russian specialists are providing assistance to one of the most affected regions in northern Italy, Bergamo, and its environs.