Moscow Calls Fedorov Appointment ‘Ridiculous’; Crosetto Says Italy Decides for Rome

Maria Zakharova did not simply criticize Italy’s choice of Mykhailo Fedorov. The Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman turned the appointment into a literary joke, saying it resembled a satirical fairy tale by Italian children’s author Gianni Rodari.

“If Gianni Rodari were alive, I think he would write a satirical fairy tale about this, but I am not sure it would be funnier than the real story,” Zakharova said during a briefing, according to Tass. Fedorov, Ukraine’s former defence minister, has been appointed as an adviser to Italy’s Defence Ministry.

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If Gianni Rodari were alive, I think he would write a satirical fairy tale about this, but I am not sure it would be funnier than the real story.

Zakharova also questioned the logic of assigning innovation in Italy to a Ukrainian official who, she said, had acknowledged the “absolute inefficiency” of his own department and put the efficiency of Ukraine’s state system at about 5%. She described the appointment as an example of how Western countries use Ukraine and Ukrainians.

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While ordinary citizens are mobilized into the trenches in Ukraine to face certain death, the managers of the Kyiv regime are converting military defeats into personal international contracts, and they are not ashamed of it.

“While ordinary citizens are mobilized into the trenches in Ukraine to face certain death, the managers of the Kyiv regime are converting military defeats into personal international contracts, and they are not ashamed of it,” Zakharova said.

Crosetto answered in similarly pointed terms. He said Moscow would prefer Italy’s decisions to be made by someone who listens to it first, but insisted that Italy currently reasons “only for Rome and not Moscow, Kyiv or Washington.” He also invoked Rodari, saying that practical experience was needed to avoid becoming like the mouse that ate cats in one of the author’s stories. Crosetto added that Russia and Italians influenced by Zakharova’s message would prefer Italy to be weak and undefended.

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I understand that they would prefer someone who listens to Moscow first to make the choices for Italy, but for now that is not the case, and decisions are made with Rome in mind, not Moscow, Kyiv or Washington.