More details emerge in Italy on the scandal over the Russian hand behind the fall of Mario Draghi’s government

The newspaper “The print” of Turin this Saturday publishes new revelations on the reports “Ungodly“Of the duo Silvio Berlusconi-Matteo Salvini with the Russian autocracy, in coalition with the leader of the Brothers of Italy party, Giorgia Meloni – favored with her 23.5% of popular support in the polls – so that the center-right wins the elections of the 25 September and becomes the first woman to head an Italian government.

Melons, far right and sovereign, he avoided the serious scandal by fully supporting the line of the resigning premier Mario Draghi of identification with the Western hard line of the United States and European countries against the invasion of Ukraine by President Vladimir Putin and the transport of weapons to the attacked country.

The particular relations of Berlusconi and Salvini with Putin they are denied by both in their most compromising aspects.

Today, “The print” targets former four-time prime minister Silvio Berlusconi many years ago Putin’s friend.

At the end of May, when an emissary from Salvini was organizing a mission for the leader of the League in Moscow, “so happens”, writes the newspaper, which after a period in which he had vaguely cooled his relationship with Putin, also criticizing his invasion of Ukraine, Berlusconi has changed lines.

“I believe that Europe should make a common peace proposal by seeking the Ukrainians accept Putin’s demands “. She said.

A few days earlier he had criticized US President Joe Biden and the arms shipment to Ukraine decided by the Draghi government. “Putin does not care who accuses him of being a criminal and if we send weapons, we are also at war “Berlusconi declared, definitively putting himself back under Putin’s wing.

“The print” published on Friday the revelations about Matteo Salvini, leader of the La Liga (14.5% in the polls), which caused a sensation because he claims to rely on information from the intelligence services.

About Salvini’s close relationship with the Russian president No doubtyes In Parliament he also said that “I exchange half Putin with two Mattarella”, which is the name of the president of Italy.

The main revelation was on May 27 and 28, when Salvini organized a trip to Moscow to see Putin and other high-ranking Russian personalities. for which he had received money from the embassy. That meeting did not materialize due to the noisy political opposition and the Draghi government itself to Salvini’s trip.

“The print“He notes that, according to intelligence documents, the senior official of the Russian diplomatic headquarters in Rome, Oleg Kostyukov, has sued Antonio Capuano, Salvini’s emissary, if the three Northern League ministers in the cabinet of national unity” intend to resign by the Draghi Government “.

These words were read as a concrete Russian attempt to put pressure on Russia’s friends destabilize Italy and the entire Western front.

The Americans tried to “mark and strengthen” the maneuver. The fatal events that occurred on July 21 with the fall of Draghi after the Berlusconi and Salvini parties that supported him they withdrew their support.

Turning to Berlusconi, the leader of Forza Italia (8% in the polls) made another statement very welcome by Moscow. “We have done a lot of damage to the Russian economy”, but “they also hurt us”. “The print” he comments: “Apparently a never extinguished love has blossomed again”.

On Wednesday 21, when the crisis that led to the fall in Parliament of Draghi, abandoned by the parties of Salvini and Berlusconi, began, there was no way to find the former Cavallieri for convince him to continue supporting Draghi.

For years, Americans have worried the relationship between Putin and Berlusconi. “The printhe asks: “What personal investments do they have in common and can guide their foreign policy choices?”.

The Georgian ambassador told that newspaper that his government believes Putin has promised Berlusconi a profit percentage of ducts built by the Russian Gazprom in coordination with the Italian giant ENI. Berlusconi has always denied “and the Georgian ambassador has never denied it”.

In the long Berlusconian era in power, ENI signed an agreement in May 2005 that allows Gazprom Export to resell Russian gas directly to consumers. The company had opaque aspects that three years later had the European Commission intervene. The deal was canceled.

“The print” refers to rumors about a Kazakh gas field controlled directly by Berlusconi, who denied everything. “It doesn’t make sense,” he said.

A key man for Silvio in media enterprises was Angelo Codignoni, who according to the Turin newspaper instructed Yuri Koalchuk, the famous Putinian oligarch, on how to create the Kremlin television empire.

Kovalchuk was the Major shareholder of Banca Rossiya. Codignoni appeared as the recipient of a series of million-dollar money transfers from Russia to three Monte Carlo-based offshore companies.

“The print” notes that Russian transactions with Berlusconi’s man are still being studied by international investigative journalists, even though Codignoni died last year.

“How many traces of Berlusconi’s past remain in Russia?”Asks the newspaper. “Energy was everything for the Berlusconi-Putin relationship,” she adds.

But also entertainment and real estate business in Italy. Katya and Masha, the daughters of the Russian president, are gone holiday in Berlusconi’s beautiful mansion in Porto Rotondo. Accompanying them were Barbara, the youngest daughter of the billionaire owner of television networks, the Mondadori publishing house and a thousand other businesses.

A year later, in 2003, Vladimir Putin himself also came on vacation, in another building, at Villa Certosa. Meanwhile, Gazprom, the Russian gas-producing giant, has signed thirty-year contracts with ENI.

“Those were the years when the Costa Smeralda became a paradise for the Russian oligarchs. One of them wanted to buy the Milan football club, one of the most important in Italy, from Berlusconi. It was Alisher Usmanov who bought seven fantastic villas, seized after the invasion of Ukraine by the Draghi government ”, recalls“ La Stampa ”.

In the days of crisis that preceded the fall of Draghi, the dissolution of the Chambers and the calling of political elections, Berlusconi settled in his Roman Villa Grande. There he commented to his various interlocutors who accompanied him: “I spoke to the Russian ambassador to Italy, Razov. He explained to me what (Volodimir) Zelensky did. ” the Ukrainian president.

“He told me that it was Ukraine that caused twenty thousand deaths in the combat zones and that the invasion was necessary because the risk was that Ukraine would invade Russia “.

The anecdote was told by one of the interlocutors to the newspaper “The Republic” who published it. Berlusconi. he said he didn’t know the Russian ambassador. Draghi fell shortly after.