Coronavirus: Moscow sends 9 cargo aircraft to provide aid to Italy

Moscow sends 9 cargo aircraft to provide aid to Italy against Coronavirus.

"From Russia with Love", this is the name that Russia has given to the medical aid operation requested by President Vladimir Putin to support Italy in the Coronavirus emergency.

Nine Ilyushin Il-76 cargo planes will arrive at Pratica di Mare airport, Rome, between today and tomorrow.

"The first Il-76 aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Defense Forces departed from Chkalovsky military airport with military specialists and equipment to the Italian Republic to provide assistance in the fight against coronavirus," said the Russian Ministry of Defense.

The plane will land at Pratica di Mare military airport and deliver a task force made up of about 120 specialists including epidemiologists and virologists, Kamaz TMS 65U and KDA Orlan trucks for disinfection (capable of reclaiming 5 sq km of territory every hour) used by the NBCR defense departments of the Russian army, field hospitals, 100 lung fans and 500,000 masks.

Today the first 5 planes are due to depart, the other 4 will take off tomorrow. The cargo aircraft apparently head to Sochi, on the Black Sea, to then reach Italy with a Mediterranean route that allows to avoid the countries of North Eastern Europe that would not give the permission to fly over Russian military aircraft.

Russian aid was organized after a long phone call yesterday between Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Source, Images: Russian Ministry of Defense