Russia on Friday rejected “bizarre” accusations of election interference in Italy after Matteo Salvini, leader of the far-right League party, called for clarifications on contacts between the Russian embassy and his close associates before the crisis that led to the downfall of Prime Minister Mario Draghi.
“It is strange to see that the Italian political class and media (…) began to be guided by outsiders in imitating their worst practices and models of their electoral campaign,” said Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, and resorted to “the vulgar myth about Moscow’s interference in the electoral processes.”
In a statement on the Telegram application, Zakharova added that Russia views “Italy as a sovereign country that pursues an independent domestic and foreign policy,” stressing that for this reason, “relations between Russia and Italy have always been characterized by pragmatism, mutual understanding and respect.”
The national unity government led by Mario Draghi fell on July 14 when the League, Forza Italia-Right and the 5-Star Movement (populists) refused to participate in a vote of confidence in Parliament.
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