Are approximately 5.600 The Italians present in Russiaabout thirty those residing in Rostov, a city under the control of the Wagner group led by Yevgeny Prigozhin. The Italian Foreign Minister takes stock of the situation after the start of the “civil war” in the country governed by Putin Antonio Tajani. “We have been following everything that happens in the Russian Federation with great attention since yesterday evening. The Italians have been invited not to move from their homes except for exceptional reasons, therefore I invite great caution”.
The Italian Embassy in Moscow has appealed to compatriots present in the Russian regions of Rostov and Voronezh to remain “sheltered” and keep themselves “informed about developments”. “Those who are outside of Rostov and Voronezh are advised not to travel to the region”, adds the Embassy. The Italians present in Rostov would be about thirty. According to ANSA, at the moment there are no problems for compatriots on the spot.
Tajani clarifies that “as regards the approximately 5,600 Italians at the moment in the Russian Federation, we have no negative reports, everything is in order, there is nothing to worry about but they have been invited to be very cautious”. On the ongoing war, Tajani underlines: “It’s not up to us to interfere. As we say that Russia cannot interfere in the internal situation of a country, we cannot. We have not waged war on Russia, we are not against Russia, we contest the violation of international law by Putin who is currently leading the Federation”.
“We have only provided Ukraine with instruments – he adds – to defend its territorial integrity. Because the loss of territorial integrity of Ukraine would have meant having the Russians ready to invade other countries of the former Soviet Union”.
The emergency number for Italians in Russia
“Tensions in the Rostov and Voronezh regions. Stay under cover and keep abreast of developments. Monitor the situation of air and land connections. For emergencies Consulate Moscow +7-906-0382441”. This is what we read on the Safe Traveling portal of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The testimonies and the assault on supermarkets
According to the first testimonies of the citizens of Rostov, the situation in the city is “surreal”. According to those gathered anonymously by breaking latest news over the phone due to the legal risks involved in speaking about military issues in Russia today, “part of the city is living a normal life, the shops and bars are open, people are shopping and c ‘is who at the supermarket has also seen the Wagners in line to make purchases; the other half of the city, on the other hand, where the strategic headquarters of the southern military district are located, the buildings of the Ministry of the Interior, the FSB and the municipal administration, is more controlled and partially blocked”. The surreal thing, says one of the witnesses, “is that you see men armed with machine guns in the car, next to people sitting quietly drinking coffee at the bar”.
Rostov, supermarket. pic.twitter.com/1KA0jgC3RX
— Alexandr Mitrofanov (@AlexandrMitrofa) June 24, 2023
However, there are those who have stormed the supermarket for supplies in case the situation, as it seems, were to degenerate.
Explosions in Rostov and fleeing civilians
In Rostov, eyewitnesses on several popular Russian Telegram channels report shots and explosions heard near the headquarters of the Southern Military District. Videos circulating on social media show people scared and on the run.
An explosion occurred at the military headquarters in Rostov. According to various Ukrainian media reports on Telegram, the explosion was followed by gunfire. Footage posted in the media shows people fleeing the blast area. Also leaving is a journalist from the state broadcaster Russia Today, who then stops in the video and asks questions to some witnesses of the explosion. The explosion would have occurred at an army base, says the reporter, running: “We are moving away as far as possible”. It is possible that the base is under Wagner’s control, as reported by the group.
#breaking news — loud explosion 💥 in #Rostov at the 🇷🇺 Military Headquarters. — Reporter speaks English 🇬🇧
If this #Wagner on the orders of #Prigozhin was? I could imagine that too #Budanov sent few drones from Ukraine 🇺🇦 to cause chaos & panic. pic.twitter.com/VQAXthU7Y6
— @BrennpunktUA 🇩🇪🇺🇦 (@BrennpunktUA) June 24, 2023
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Cyrus Cuozzo