Overview
- Part of Rome’s Torre dei Conti collapsed, and at least one construction worker was reported trapped as rescue operations continued.
- Maria Zakharova, the Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, used the incident to claim Italy would fall “from the economy to the towers” if it keeps supporting Ukraine.
- She referenced an Italian Foreign Ministry figure that places Italy’s military-related support and EU-channelled contributions to Ukraine at about €2.5 billion.
- Italian opposition leaders condemned the remarks as offensive and propagandistic and urged the government to summon Russia’s ambassador.
- The comments align with Zakharova’s pattern of provocative statements toward Western countries, which has continued since she was sanctioned in 2022.