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Thirteenth Aircraft Heads From Russia to Italy to Help Fight Coronavirus Outbreak

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Earlier in the day, a number of planes have departed from Russia to Italy to assist in the fight against COVID-19 after Italy held its first consultations on using the Russia-provided equipment for the fight against the virus.
Sputnik

Thirteenth Il-76 aircraft flew out from Russia to Italy carrying troops and equipment to help fight the coronavirus outbreak, the Russian Defence Ministry said Monday.

Russian specialists will start carrying out programmes on disinfection and prevention as soon as they agree all the steps with local authorities.

Earlier, nearly a hundred of Russian experts were dispatched to the Italian Air Force's Pratica di Mare air base with medical equipment to assist the country in its struggle against the coronavirus.

Conte Says Italy's Coronavirus Epidemic Yet to Peak

Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio previously met the Russian military specialists and virologists who arrived at the air base on Sunday night.

On Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte held a phone conversation in which Russia’s head of state confirmed his country's commitment to provide prompt assistance to Italy in the fight against the COVID-19 disease.

According to Worldometers portal, there are currently 59,138 coronavirus cases registered in Italy and 5,476 confirmed deaths from COVID-19 in the country.

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