Italian mercenaries killed in Ukraine, Rome’s intelligence denies Moscow: “We don’t know”
11 Italians have died so far while “participating in military operations” in Ukraine against the Russian army. To say it is a communication from the Kremlin to Palazzo Chigi, as reported by the Corriere della Sera, which identifies about sixty Italian “mercenaries” who enlisted with the Ukrainian resistance. A dozen would have returned to Italy, while the others are still fighting together with: “several thousand foreign citizens”. The identities of the Italians who fell in battle are unknown, nor where they were killed. Doubts also emerge on the reliability of the news, explains Francesco Verderami on Courierwhereas the Italian Ministry of Defense did not find these either foreign fighters our own in conflict areas.
The Italian denial
According to sources of Italian intelligence heard by Ansa, however, the information is not correct. The State “does not know”, however “checks are underway”. So far, the only dead Italian fighter known is Edy Ongaro, the 46-year-old Venetian killed by a bomb on March 30 while fighting with the Donbass separatist militias.
The Kremlin version
Between the lines, the Kremlin also issued a warning about possible Italian fighters who will be captured by the Russians: “The footprints of international humanitarian law do not apply to mercenaries.” A phrase that, in the light of Bucha and all the other formidable scenarios that emerged after the occupation of the troops of, suggests that the Italian volunteers in Moscow will remain prisoners. About a month ago, again at the Corriere, Giovanni Bianconi had told that the Italian counterterrorism had 17 compatriots in Ukraine, of which nine deployed with Kiev and eight with Moscow. All prosecutable given that the law prohibits: “hostile acts towards a foreign state”.
The note from the Russian Defense Ministry in Rome would be similar to those sent to other European cancellations. Moscow’s attempt would aim to split the front of Western countries above all, now that the decisive phase with the assault on the Donbass is approaching. In this way, the Kremlin threatens and tries to intimidate European countries, sources from the Farnesina explain to Corriere, provided that the information is matched.