Italy summoned Russia's deputy ambassador to protest the "vulgar" remarks by Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, who linked the collapse of a medieval tower in Rome to Italian military support for Ukraine, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
A Romanian worker was trapped under the rubble of part of a medieval tower near the Colosseum in Rome yesterday. He was later pulled out alive by rescue teams, but died in hospital.
While the rescue operation was still underway, Zakharova wrote on her Telegram channel that as long as the Italian government "wastes taxpayers' money" to support Ukraine, the local economy and its towers will continue to fall.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani called the post "disturbing" and "unacceptable" and added: "Italy will not change its foreign policy position in response to groundless verbal attacks".
In a statement later posted on "Facebook", the Russian embassy in Rome expressed its condolences for the death of Romanian worker Octav Stroich.
It added that Moscow had expressed its concern to Italy about the "aggressive, condemnatory anti-Russian campaign" in the Italian media, sparked by Zakharova's comment.
Rome has firmly supported Ukraine since a full-scale Russian invasion in 2022, providing Kiev with military equipment, training and humanitarian aid as part of broader support from NATO and the EU.
Public opinion in Italy, however, is divided. The majority of citizens oppose the Russian invasion and support humanitarian aid, but many Italians are concerned about sending weapons or military involvement.