Ucraina-Russia, attacco a petroliere e rotte commerciali, la guerra si allarga | Generale Bertolini

IlSussidiario.tv interviews Reserve Lieutenant General Marco Bertolini, former commander of the Joint Operations Command, on tensions between Italy and Russia and the naval escalation in the Black Sea. In the interview with IlSussidiario.tv, Bertolini analyzes the new deterioration in relations between Italy and Russia, following the expulsion from Moscow of the Italian military attaché and his assistant. According to the general, this was a predictable retaliation following the expulsion from Italy of two Russian military attachés who, according to Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, had been caught engaging in espionage activities detrimental to national security. Bertolini calls the incident "a sign of tension that should not be ignored," while emphasizing that it does not amount to a severance of diplomatic relations, as the ambassadors have remained in their posts. The general then focuses on the war in the Black Sea. On the night of July 20-21, the Liberian-flagged gas tanker Gas Lisbon, headed for the Ukrainian port of Reni with over 3,790 tons of propane, was hit approximately 37 kilometers off the Romanian coast, outside the country's territorial waters. All 17 crew members were evacuated; three were injured, and one subsequently died. Romanian authorities are still investigating the causes and responsibilities for the attack. The conflict, Bertolini observes, is increasingly extending to the naval theater, a strategic area for the transport of energy, grain, and other goods. Ukrainian attacks against Russian shipping in the Sea of ​​Azov and Russian attacks against Odessa, Ukrainian ports, and commercial vessels demonstrate a progressive deterioration in the security of the sea and river routes connected to the Danube: "It's a castle that's crumbling a bit." According to Bertolini, targeting tankers, port infrastructure, and grain transport vessels directly damages the economies of Russia and Ukraine, increases the risks for international trade, and brings the conflict closer to the European Union's borders. Extending the war to naval traffic, he believes, therefore, is "a very bad sign." Learn more at [IlSussidiario.net](https://www.ilsussidiario.net/). #Russia #Ukraine #BlackSea #ItalyRussia #WarInUkraine #Geopolitics