Zakharova Links Rome Tower Collapse to Ukraine Aid

The collapse of one of Rome's historic towers on November 3 was directly linked by Russian Foreign Ministry representative Maria Zakharova to Italian financial aid to Ukraine, which was followed by a harsh response from the Italian side. The Italian Foreign Ministry summoned the Russian ambassador to the ministry to issue a reprimand, and described Zakharova's words as "vulgar." However, the Russian official not only did not back down but also stated that she now has a new reason to criticize Rome for helping Kyiv.

The cause of the scandal was a post made by Zakharova on her Telegram channel on Monday. "A historic tower has collapsed in the center of Rome, in the Imperial Forums. They are searching for victims under the rubble," she wrote, immediately recalling that "Italian support for Ukraine, including military aid and contributions paid through EU mechanisms, reaches about 2.5 billion euros." Zakharova concluded her words with a threat: "As long as the Italian government senselessly spends its taxpayers' money, all of Italy will collapse, from the economy to the towers."

In response, the Italian Foreign Ministry summoned the Russian ambassador, Paramonov, to issue an official reprimand. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani called Zakharova's words "vulgar, to say the least." "When a disaster happens, one cannot speculate on the topic of people trapped under the rubble or injured workers. We have never done that. When a disaster happened in Russia, we always showed solidarity. These statements are shameful and unacceptable in a civilized country," Tajani concluded.

However, Zakharova, commenting on the summons of the Russian ambassador to "Izvestia," not only did not regret it but also launched a new attack. "It will be an opportunity to once again remind that sponsoring the terrorist regime in Kyiv is a crime and a sin," she said.

It should be noted that this is not the first time the Russian ambassador has been summoned to the Italian Foreign Ministry because of Zakharova's statements. The previous incident occurred in February of this year when Zakharova responded to a speech by Italian President Sergio Mattarella, in which he compared Russia's invasion of Ukraine to Hitler's Germany.

As a reminder, a part of the Conti Tower in Rome collapsed on Monday. As a result of the collapse, one of the workers involved in the restoration of the monument was killed, and another was hospitalized.