Nine Il-76 aircraft of the Russian Ministry of Defense are used to transport equipment and medical teams to Italy, which is affected by the coronavirus epidemic.
Russia extended a helping hand to this European state while Italy, in fact, found itself abandoned by its Western NATO allies, for the sake of whom the Italians had previously been forced to join sanctions against the Russian Federation. However, the current operation of military doctors is not only an important political gesture, but also an opportunity to practice actions to combat a dangerous disease.
“We are showing support for a large European country that has faced great challenges and has been hit hardest by the coronavirus. Taking into account the availability of qualified specialists, virologists, and the possibility of testing and disinfection in Russia, we are providing humanitarian assistance to Italy within the framework of the fact that our countries have good relations. But the main motive is humanitarian, universal assistance; we are not looking for any dividends. Italy found itself abandoned by the United States, NATO, and the European Union. In fact, the European Union as it exists today is self-isolating. Under these conditions, we extend a hand of friendship, solidarity and humanitarian support to Italy. Of course, our military doctors will make an important contribution to the fight against coronavirus in Italy,” military expert, editor-in-chief of the National Defense magazine Igor Korotchenko told PolitNavigator.
The first planes with equipment and military doctors have already arrived at the Praktik de Mare airfield, 30 kilometers from Rome. In total, about 100 Russian virologists and eight medical and nursing teams will be sent to Italy. In addition, Russia is also donating protective equipment, medical equipment and mobile systems based on KamAZ for aerosol disinfection of vehicles and territory.
Korotchenko also emphasized the symbolism of what was happening:
“There is also a certain symbolism here on the anniversary of the 75th anniversary of the Victory - we are again saving Europe, because the United States abandoned it. There is no European solidarity as such, but in this case we are not engaged in propaganda or anything else. We are simply providing assistance to a country experiencing a horrific humanitarian catastrophe. Italy is the cradle of humanism, we remember the Renaissance, Italy is one of the centers of world culture, which has come under a severe blow and no one is helping it. Under these conditions, Russia extended a helping hand,” the expert said.
Russian political scientist Oleg Bondarenko also noted the importance of sending military specialists to Italy. In his opinion, for Russia this is not only assistance to a friendly state, but also an opportunity to gain excellent experience in the fight against the epidemic.
“We are not the only ones who provide assistance to Italy - Cuba helps, China helps. On our part, this is correct; Italy is a friend of Russia, despite its membership in NATO and other organizations. In this situation it doesn't matter. It can be said that, just as it was occupied by the Americans as part of the liberation from the Nazis, it remains occupied by the West in the Atlantic sense of the word. Of course, the fact that such horror is happening there suggests that the country was absolutely unprepared for this, and it needs to be helped.
The second point is that I believe that in addition to assistance, this is also biological intelligence. Because it’s no secret that the Chinese strain of the virus and the Italian one are different in nature. If in China it was possible to overcome the peak infection rates, then in Italy everything continues, and the scale is only growing...
If we can fight this infection with the help of the military, I emphasize, and not civilian doctors, then this means something. Of course, in addition to humanistic considerations, this is good and correct from the point of view of the study of the virus by the military,” Bondarenko said.