Ukraine's use of Western long-range missiles to strike Russia will mean that "NATO countries are at war with Russia," and Moscow will make "appropriate decisions."

This is the new threat from Russian President Vladimir Putin: if Western countries give Kiev permission to use long-range missiles against Russian territory, "this will mean that NATO countries, the US and European countries are at war with Russia," he reiterated in a television interview broadcast by the Kremlin's Telegram channel. "In this case," he added, " taking into account the change in the very essence of this conflict, we will make appropriate decisions based on the threats that will be addressed to us ."

Meanwhile, diplomatic tensions between Italy and Russia have suddenly flared up after Moscow declared RAI correspondent Stefania Battistini and cameraman Simone Traini "wanted persons" , accused of having entered the country illegally last month following Ukrainian troops who penetrated the Kursk region.

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said he had summoned the Russian ambassador to Italy to the Farnesina to express his "surprise" at what he called a "strange decision." Alexei Paramonov will be received at the ministry this afternoon. The names of Battistini and Traini appear in the Interior Ministry's wanted database based on "an unspecified article of the criminal code." But the Tass agency recalls that illegal entry into Russia carries a penalty of up to five years in prison. Other foreign correspondents are also on the wanted list: Simon Connolly of Deutsche Welle, Nick Walsh of CNN, and Ukrainian journalists Natalia Nagornaya, Diana Butsko, and Olesya Borovik.

Rai reacted by speaking of "an act of violation of freedom of information" and stating that Battistini and Traini "carried out their work as witnesses of the events in an exemplary and objective manner" . Rai, it is further underlined from Viale Mazzini, "continues to carry out its role of public service also thanks to the courageous activity of its journalists and correspondents and reserves the right to operate in every venue to denounce the decision of the Russian government in defense of freedom of information and to protect its journalist and the operator".

(Unioneonline/D)

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