Italy’s government is furious after Moscow suggested their support for Ukraine was to blame for the deadly collapse of a historic tower in Rome.
A Romanian maintenance worker lost his life late Monday following a 12-hour rescue attempt at the Torre dei Conti after the 13-Century landmark partially gave way, sending debris and dust into nearby streets crowded by tourists.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has now claimed Italy’s infrastructure is deteriorating because state funds are being diverted to military aid for Kyiv.
“As long as the Italian government keeps uselessly wasting taxpayers’ money, all of Italy will collapse, from the economy to its towers,” she wrote on Telegram, a social media and messaging app popular in Russia and Eastern Europe.
Her remarks provoked an immediate response from Rome. Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani condemned Zakharova’s comments as “shameful and unacceptable in a civil country,” summoning the Russian ambassador for an explanation.
A chief propagandist for Vladimir Putin’s regime, it’s not the first time Zakharova has sparked controversy for outlandish and offensive statements.
She’s previously come under fire for suggesting Kyiv has been facilitating tourist “safaris” at the frontline of the ongoing conflict, for claiming refrigerated railcars are being used to transport human organs from Ukraine for illicit transplantation in European countries, and that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is abusing illegal drugs.
There is zero evidence to support any of these claims.
Emergency crews were still at the site in Rome on Tuesday, investigating how the 29-meter tower’s exterior buttress gave way just before noon the day before.
Firefighters rescued several workers using ladders, but one man, in his sixties, was later found trapped beneath the rubble. Despite efforts to stabilize the structure and protect him from further collapse, he died in hospital that night.
Rome’s prefect, Lamberto Giannini, described the scene as “extremely complex,” praising firefighters for their courage amid the ongoing risks.
Mayor Roberto Gualtieri and Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli visited the site, where restoration work worth nearly €7 million was underway to convert the tower into a museum.
