Italy following Russia events, urges expats to be cautious

Rome: Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is closely monitoring events in Russia, her office said Saturday, while her foreign minister urged Italians living there to exercise caution.

In the most serious challenge yet to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s long rule, the leader of the Wagner mercenary force, Yevgeny Prighozin, seized a key military headquarters overseeing the offensive in Ukraine.

“Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is closely following the events taking place in Russia, which show how the aggression against Ukraine is causing instability also within Russia,“ her office said in a statement.

On Twitter, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said that for the moment there was no concern for Italians living in Russia, but said they were “advised to be cautious”.

Despite Italy’s historically warm ties with Moscow, Meloni’s coalition government has sent weapons and aid to help Ukraine while also strongly backing Western sanctions on Russia for its invasion last year.