Rome and Moscow trade barbs as Italy steps up cyber vigilance
Italy’s National Committee for Public Order and Security decided that monitoring of the country’s most vulnerable cybersecurity systems must be strengthened. The decision follows recent cyberattacks that several members of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government have described as part of a hybrid war.
Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi chaired the meeting, which brought together the heads of the police forces and intelligence services and representatives of the National Cybersecurity Agency, ANSA reported.
The meeting was called after last week’s cyberattacks on supermarket refrigeration systems and fake bomb alerts for flights in many parts of Europe, including Italy. It also followed the publication on the dark web of the personal data of Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani. Tajani has blamed pro-Russian hackers and linked the attack to Italy’s support for Ukraine as it fights Russian invasion forces.
Tajani revealed at the weekend that his personal data was among those of several Italian officials leaked on the dark web by cybercriminals. On Monday he said hybrid attacks targeting Italy were the work of pro-Russian hackers.
The Russian embassy in Rome responded on Tuesday, calling the claims a “tragicomic vaudeville” staged to justify the Italian government’s latest package of aid for Ukraine, according to ANSA.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a G7 meeting in Paris, Tajani dismissed the embassy’s attack on him as “propaganda and disinformation”. He said anyone wanting to understand what lay behind it need only read some history books.
Pizza ban proposal draws Italian rebuke
Separately, Italy on Tuesday came out against a Russian official’s proposal to ban pizza from Russian school canteens. The proposal described pizza as a Western product that harms children’s health and undermines Moscow’s traditional gastronomic identity. ANSA noted that pizza is very popular among Russian youth.
The ban was proposed by a group of healthy-food activists and taken up by presidential adviser Elena Yampolskaya. She said pizza is not a suitable food for educational institutions because it is not good for children’s health. She added that public preschools and schools must follow state policies in every area, including those currently aimed at restoring what is traditional.
Italy’s reaction was swift. Gino Sorbillo, one of Naples’ most famous pizza makers, said “this is madness” and that he would make a special “Pizza For Russia” for Moscow.
Farm Minister Francesco Lollobrigida said pizza is a healthy food and does not cause any particular harm in any case. He said he imagined that 99 percent of the pizzas produced and distributed in Russia are actually made in Russia. He added that the Russians are doing a lot of wrong things at the moment.
The Italian Society of Environmental Medicine (SIMA) said a pizza made with high-quality ingredients and little salt, and served in age-appropriate portions, can have a place on a school menu. SIMA Chair Alessandro Miani cited a Margherita as an example. It is made with tomato, mozzarella, extra virgin olive oil and a small amount of salt. It would be served in the right portion size with seasonal vegetables, a piece of fruit and water.
Miani said children’s health is safeguarded by focusing on the quality of ingredients, portion sizes and the variety of the menu. He said this applies to pizza as to any traditional dish from any country.
SIMA noted that the Council for Agricultural Research and Economics (CREA) includes pizza as an option for children and adolescents. Portion sizes are tailored to different age groups, and pizza serves as an alternative to pasta, rice, bread or potatoes. In a school canteen, SIMA said, a Margherita could therefore be offered on a rotating basis with a side of vegetables and fresh fruit.
Antonio Pace, president of the True Neapolitan Pizza Association (AVPN), said pizza lifts people’s mood. He said that when it is made to the standards of the authentic Neapolitan original, happiness is guaranteed and it is even good for health. He called for an end to any “wars” over a product he described as a symbol of peace and brotherhood.
