Overview
- Excerpts from Bruno Vespa’s forthcoming book published on October 28 quote Guido Crosetto saying “insospettabili” Italians were corrupted by Russia and describing a hybrid and cognitive campaign targeting the country.
- Crosetto portrays Italy as the principal European target for destabilization and links intense domestic protests and controversies to foreign infiltration.
- He argues Ukraine cannot reconquer territories lost since 2014 because Moscow has constitutionally annexed them, and he references a U.S. idea to discuss territorial cessions.
- The minister cites casualty figures of 520,000 Ukrainians and more than one million Russians, presented as his assessment in the excerpts.
- Following criticism, Crosetto clarified that the corruption remark formed part of a broader analysis of hybrid threats and pointed to the Walter Biot espionage case for context as opposition parties pressed for institutional briefings.