Italy summoned Russia’s deputy ambassador on Tuesday in objection to “vulgar” comments from the Kremlin which attributed blame for the deadly collapse of a tower in Rome to the country’s support of Ukraine.
A Romanian construction worker died late on Monday after he was trapped for 12 hours under the rubble of part of the Torre dei Conti, a 13th-century tower in Rome that was used by Pope Innocent III.
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The tower was undergoing restoration work at the time of its partial collapse. One other person sustained serious injuries from the accident.
While the rescue operation was still underway, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova wrote on her Telegram channel that Italian infrastructure was crumbling because the government was “wasting its taxpayers’ money” on backing Ukraine’s war effort.
She added that if Italy continues to support Ukraine, “all of Italy will collapse, from the economy to its towers.”
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani described the post as “disturbing” and “unacceptable,” adding: “Italy will not alter its foreign policy stance or its principles in response to reckless verbal attacks.”
“When there has been a tragedy affecting the Russian Federation, we have always shown solidarity. These statements are shameful and unacceptable in a civilized country,” he added.
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Russia’s Embassy in Rome later expressed its condolences for the death of Octav Stroici, the Romanian worker, for whom a day of mourning will be held on Wednesday.
He was described as an “exquisite, calm and very good person” by a colleague speaking to La Repubblica.
The Russian Embassy also complained that Moscow had been targeted by an “aggressive, deplorable anti-Russian campaign” in Italian media over the comments.
It is not the first time Zakharova has sparked outrage in Italy. She accused the country in February of “pumping the terrorist Kyiv neo-Nazi regime in Ukraine with modern lethal weaponry” and described it as the place “where fascism originated.”
Politicians in Italy hit back at the time by saying that the comments “offend the entire Italian nation.”
Italian foreign ministry sources told Italy’s leading news agency that Zakharova’s “squalid, worrying words” confirm “the abyss of vulgarity into which the Moscow leadership has plunged.”
“No one in Italy, no one at all, would ever think of rejoicing, of speculating on an accident, a tragedy in which we, as Italian people, are all still involved,” they continued.
“Italy will always, and in every case, express solidarity and friendship for the weakest, for those in difficulty, for those under attack. That is why we support the Ukrainian people.”