Story with Russian "humanitarian convoy" deployed in Italy to "help combat coronavirus" continues.. by A.Bohach
The Italian newspaper La Stampa, citing its own sources among high-ranking officials and the General Staff of the county's Armed Forces, reports that most part of Russia's "assistance" brought in the territory of a NATO Ally on 14 planes in fact isn't helping at all.
"80% of what was brought in by Russia is absolutely unnecessary or little needed for Italy. In short, it is nothing but a cover-up," the newspaper quoted its source as saying. It's a c cover-up for a Russian special operation whose true purpose is yet to be figured out.
The Russians brought trucks and disinfectants, a field lab, and the like. All this, by and large, unnecessary stuff was pompously delivered to Pratica di Mare military airfield, and then convoys of military vehicles hoisting Russian flags drove 600 km across Italy to Bergamo, the city most affected by epidemic. The relevant videos are now all over the media, along with comments of experts and politicians claiming that Russia, unlike the West and the EU, "did not leave the Italians behind in a difficult moment."
But the main thing is that, along with a "humanitarian convoy", nearly a hundred Russian troops were deployed in Bergamo, led by General Sergei Kikot, the infamous commander who had earlier tried to convince international audiences, despite solid evidence presented by international organizations, that Russian friend Bashar al Assad never used chemical weapons in Syria. Here's a quote from La Stampa: "This whole operation is managed by the Russian Ministry of Defense, not their health department. These are generals, colonels, majors, lieutenants-general who were previously involved in military campaigns in Africa, where bacteriological warfare was combined with Russian intelligence operations."
The Russian military, the newspaper says, are being hosted in the Italian army barracks in Bergamo – an embarrassing move for a NATO Ally that could've never been imagined had it not been for the pandemic.
This is all being done with the permission of Italian Prime Minister Conte, who spoke with Vladimir Putin on March 21. It remains a mystery, what the two agreed upon exactly and why Conte allowed Russian military to cross into Italy. But it's already clear that Russia is celebrating another PR win while the EU and NATO keep dealing with other pressing issues.
A.Bohach. Independent expert
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