On January 20, the Italian city of Modena will host a conference and exhibition to showcase the city’s “post-war rebirth”. Russia captured and occupied the city in May 2022, at which point the city was almost completely destroyed by shells, Reuters reports.
Speakers were invited to speak at the event, including the Russian consul general in Milan led by Dmitri Shtodin, reports the website of the Russian Emilia-Romagna cultural association.
“We view this event with great cynicism, a public insult to the memory of thousands of civilian victims, an event focused on Russian propaganda and a violation of all moral foundations and principles,” Ukrainian Ambassador Yaroslav Melnyk said in a letter to the mayor of Modena Gian Carlo Muzzarelli.
Filippo Sensi, Muzzarelli’s party colleague, also asked for the event to be banned, writing on the social media platform Modena.
Muzzarelli said in a statement that Modena does not endorse or support the event. He added that the local statute was followed when booking the civic hall and that the association is committed to respecting constitutional values when booking the space.
“The exhibition in Modena on the so-called prosperity of Mariupol during the Russian occupation is a provocation,” Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko told Ukrinform. He added that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine has instructed the Embassy of Ukraine in Rome to prepare an official appeal.
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2024-01-05 17:36:26
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