Russian Military Vehicles Arrive in Bergamo, Italy

A fleet of Russian military vehicles carrying virologists and epidemiologists, as well as ventilators and other equipment, arrived in Bergamo, Italy, on Wednesday, March 25, according to reports.

The Russian government said the shipments were to help in the fight against the novel coronavirus, but Italian sources said the move was a public-relations stunt, local media reported.

The supplies and personnel were transported to Rome via military jets before being driven 600 km (about 375 miles) north to Bergamo in military vehicles, according to Russian state media.

According to Italian officials, who spoke anonymously to La Stampa, an Italian daily newspaper, 80 percent of the supplies are “useless.” The Italian officials described the act as a public-relations stunt.

The Russian Ambassador to Italy, Sergei Razov, dismissed those claims as “perverted.”

This footage was posted to Twitter by Russians at NATO with the hashtag #FromRussiaWithLove.

Italy has confirmed 74,386 cases of COVID-19, with 7,503 deaths from the illness as of March 26. Credit: Russians at NATO via Storyful