Russian MFA spokeswoman mocks Rome tower collapse - Italy calls remarks alarming
Photo: Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova (Getty Images)
Italy’s Foreign Ministry has condemned Russian MFA spokeswoman Maria Zakharova for mocking the partial collapse of Rome’s Torre dei Conti tower, according to ANSA.
According to ANSA, sources in Italy’s Foreign Ministry said that Maria Zakharova’s mockery of the collapse of Rome’s Torre dei Conti tower "confirms the abyss of vulgarity into which the Moscow leadership has plunged."
The ministry sources described her comments as "squalid, worrying words" that “confirm the abyss of vulgarity into which Moscow’s leadership has sunk.”
Zakharova had attempted to link the incident to Italy’s military support for Ukraine, claiming that "for as long as the Italian government continues to waste taxpayers' money, Italy, from its economy to its towers, will collapse completely."
In response, the Italian MFA stated:
"No one in Italy, no one at all, would ever think of rejoicing, of speculating on an incident, a tragedy in which we, as Italian people, are all still involved."
On Monday, November 3, Russian Ambassador to Italy Alexei Paramonov was summoned to the Foreign Ministry and handed an official note following Zakharova’s comments.
Collapse of Torre dei Conti tower
Part of the historic Torre dei Conti, located near the Colosseum in central Rome, collapsed on November 3. Three construction workers were injured, and a fourth remained trapped under the rubble for nearly 10 hours before being rescued and hospitalized.
Zakharova's previous disinformation on Ukraine
In recent months, Zakharova has repeatedly spread false claims about Ukraine. In October, she again called the Bucha massacre a "staged event," citing the alleged absence of victim lists.
She has also pushed disinformation about supposed "canceled local elections" and the "loss of legitimacy" of Ukraine’s authorities, distorting a statement by the Association of Ukrainian Cities that applied only to Kyiv.
Earlier, Zakharova falsely claimed that Ukraine had "weakened its organ transplant laws" since 2022 and compared it to alleged Balkan "black transplantology" in the 1990s.
She also asserted that Ukraine had become a "donor of soil for the West," claiming that Western states "grow contaminated GMO grains" there, another propaganda narrative rejected by international observers.
