The Russian Foreign Ministry accuses the Italian newspaper 'Corriere della Sera' of censorship after the newspaper refused to publish an interview with Sergei Lavrov.

A scandal broke out between the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Italian newspaper 'Corriere della Sera', after the ministry accused the newspaper of censorship for refusing to publish an interview with the head of Russian diplomacy, Sergey Lavrov. The management of 'Corriere' explained that it requested a direct interview but was denied, so it sent the questions in advance. The ministry responded with a long text full of accusations, which the newspaper found controversial and requiring further verification. As a result, the interview was published on the website of the Russian Ministry and picked up by the TASS agency.

Lavrov addressed topics such as the rise of Nazism in Europe and accused European governments of diverting attention from internal issues by supporting Ukraine. He also emphasized that Russia is a 'civilizational state' with a thousand-year history. 'Corriere della Sera' stated that it will be open to a real interview, in accordance with the principles of free journalism, in the future.