Thread by @CodaStory

Extraordinary images of Russian military trucks, flags waving, driving across Italy. Kremlin says this is a “humanitarian” operation—dubbed From Russia with Love—designed to help Italy fight the #COVID19 outbreak.

But things aren’t adding up.

Thread (1/7)

Last weekend, after a call with Italy’s Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin ordered his government to send humanitarian aid to Italy. We reported that Russian media said they were sending several planes of protective equipment + 100 doctors to fight #covid19

codastory.com/waronscience/c…

Nine giant military planes landed just outside Rome.

“IL-76 planes efficiently delivering humanitarian aid to help Italy in fighting the pandemic, that’s a serious blow to NATO’s authority,” says a Russian state news agency.

While the Russian media went into a frenzy covering the ‘humanitarian operation’, Italian journalist @jacopo_iacoboni discovered that instead of sending doctors, the Russian government sent generals and biological weapons experts.

lastampa.it/topnews/primo-…

@jacopo_iacoboni’s sources told @lastampa that most of the equipment Russia sent was “useless.”

Meanwhile, a Russian state news agency reported that Italians were “very dumbfounded” by the efficiency of the Russian military.

Since landing near Rome the military experts had been driven north to Bergamo, the epicenter of the outbreak, where they will now be stationed.

What will they be doing there? No one knows, according to @LaStampa.

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