The attempts of intervention made by Moscow in Italy in an attempt to destabilize the government of Mario Draghi as well as the possible involvement of Matteo Salvini, through one of his advisors in the service of these plans, is revealed in today’s publication by the newspaper La Stampa.
With its front-page report, the Italian newspaper exposes the background of the contacts that Antonio Capuano, adviser on foreign policy of the League leader Matteo Salvini, allegedly had with Oleg Kostiukov, “a prominent official of the Russian embassy” in Italy, two months before the fall of the Draghi government.
As noted in the exclusive report, it was a period when “Lega” and “5 Star Movement”, government partners at the time, allied against the shipment of a new shipment of weapons to Ukraine, which angered Moscow.
The time period in which the talks are determined to have taken place is between May 27 and 28, while on the 26th Mario Draghi had contacted Vladimir Putin by phone in a mediating effort to lift the Russian embargo on Ukrainian grain exports.
Citing excerpts from intelligence documents, the Turin newspaper notes that the Russian diplomat “showing possible Russian interest in destabilizing the Italian government with this venture, asked [τον συνεργάτη του Σαλβίνι] if the League ministers intended to resign”.
According to what Stampa reveals, Kostiukov was the man from the Russian embassy who had bought with rubles the tickets for Salvini’s trip to Moscow at the end of last May, a trip that ultimately did not take place.
“Nonsense” replies Salvini who denies the report
The leader of the League, Matteo Salvini, denies the report and says that “it is nonsense” and that “it is the well-known, imaginary scenario, with Putin, fascism, racism and nationalism as the main elements”.
“I worked and am working for peace and trying to stop this damned war. Imagine if I start talking about ministers and deputy ministers, it seems to me the same fantasy about Putin, fascism, racism, Nazism,” the head of the League told the radio station Radio 24.
The opposition parties are asking for explanations
Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio called on the League leader to explain. “I think that Salvini should be explained about his relations with Russia at the same time that he was being bought tickets to Moscow with rubles,” he said on Canale 5’s morning show. “We have to be vigilant about Russian influence in this the election campaign,” he added.
On the part of the head of the center-left Democratic Party, Enrico Letta, he spoke of disturbing revelations.
“Today’s revelations in Stampa about the relations between Salvini and Russia are worrying. The election campaign is starting in the worst way, with a huge stain on this case. We want to know if it was Putin who brought down the Draghi government,” he stated.
Leta announced that he would request an investigation into the matter by the parliamentary committee responsible for the security of the Italian Republic (Copasir), adding: “Salvini failed to refute it with a statement that confirms his dark relationships.”
Source: TheTOC
Source: Capital
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