The Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Russian ambassador over a statement by the Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, who linked the partial collapse of the historic Torre dei Conti (Torre dei Conti) in Rome to military support for Ukraine. The Italian ministry called these words “dirty and troubling”.

According to ANSA, citing sources in the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Zakharova linked the incident in Rome to military aid to Ukraine, noting:

“as long as the Italian government continues to waste taxpayers’ money, Italy, from its economy to its towers, will completely collapse”

– Maria Zakharova

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The Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs called these words “dirty and troubling” and noted that they underscore the depth of vulgarity to which, in their view, the Russian leadership has sunk.

“Whenever a disaster befell Russia, we have always shown solidarity. These statements are shameful and unacceptable in a civilized country”

– Antonio Tajani

According to an ANSA source, the Russian ambassador to Italy, Alexei Paramonov, was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for an official rebuke. On the same day, Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said that Rome is preparing the 12th package of military aid to Ukraine, and will present it soon.

What Led Up to the Events

On November 3, in the center of Rome, near the Colosseum, the Torre dei Conti partially collapsed. One worker was trapped under the rubble, and rescuers are currently searching for him. The Rome prosecutor’s office opened an investigation, and later there were suppositions that an internal collapse of the structure could have occurred.

The tower once housed city hall offices, but since 2006 the building has not been in use, and according to the city authorities, a four-year reconstruction project was due to finish the following year. Because of restoration work, the area around the tower was closed to pedestrians.

The building was erected in the early 13th century during the papacy of Innocent III for his family. Initially it was twice as tall as it is today, but it was reduced after damage from earthquakes in the 14th and 18th centuries.