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Coronavirus pandemic

Russian envoy to US slams criticism of Russia's aid to Italy as cynical

Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov said that Russian military doctors in Italy are fighting against the global threat of coronavirus pandemic

© Russian Defense Ministry/TASS

WASHINGTON, April 1. /TASS/. Criticism aimed at Russia's help to Italy in the fight against coronavirus is groundless, cynical and immoral, Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov said on Wednesday.

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"Groundless criticism and lack of trust for the assistance that Russia provides to Italy are cynical, immoral and cruel to those who are fighting for their lives. Our military medics — doctors and nurses — risk a lot every day, unlike those who dare to calculate the percentage of effectiveness of their work," Antonov said when responding to journalists' questions on the official account of the Russian Embassy in Washington on Facebook.

Russian military doctors in Italy are fighting against the global threat, Antonov continued. "Russian specialists in Bergamo fight against the global threat. They are saving not only Italians, but their own compatriots, and decrease the scale of the threat," the ambassador added.

"Those who politicize our readiness to provide assistance to people in the Apennines, don't know history very well. They should be reminded about Russian sailors who landed in Sicily in 1908 after the devastating earthquake there (NATO or EU did not exist back then) and about Russia's rescue and restoration mission in Aquila after the 2009 tragedy," Antonov said.

According to latest reports, the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Italy reached 105,792, and the death toll stood at 12,428.

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