Latest news on the war in Ukraine. Kyiv: Starlink is stable and has resumed operations at a speed of 400 km/h

Ukraine is bracing itself for another winter of war whilst tensions flare up on the diplomatic front. Trump accuses Zelensky of obstructing peace, Kyiv complains of a shortage of Patriot systems to defend against Russian ballistic missiles, and Putin is preparing for possible talks with the US and China – without Ukraine or Europe. In the midst of it all is the Pope, who is attempting to open a path to negotiations by telephoning the Kremlin personally. And then there are those living through the war, on the front line or not far away. We discuss this with Gigi Donelli, a journalist with Radio 24 who has just returned from the region.

The “hand of Moscow” has become “an all-Italia catch-all for any awkward issue”. This is the Russian Embassy’s response to the allegations regarding the street violence in Milan. “Young people are discontented, prices are rising, riots are breaking out in the streets, lorries aren’t running? – writes the embassy on its Telegram channel – What could be easier than blaming it all on Russian hackers, Russian agents or anyone with a Russian passport who, for some strange reason, keeps visiting Italia?”

Giorgia Meloni should listen to Al Bano, who is calling for Italia to reopen its doors to Russia. This was stated on Telegram by Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, who posted an interview the singer gave to Sandro Teti Editore and which was published on YouTube on 21 October. “The famous and popular Italian singer Al Bano, who is very well known and loved in our country,” says Zakharova, “has made a very sincere and heartfelt public appeal to the Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni. Emphasising the deep historical and cultural ties between our countries, he urged the Prime Minister, with great emotion, to stop imposing sanctions on Russia, to reopen Italy’s doors to Russia and to finally begin working in earnest to achieve a lasting peace in Ukraine. But will his voice be heard in Rome?” “Judging by recent events, the Italian authorities seem to be having serious difficulty in accommodating voices that diverge from the prevailing political narrative,” Zakharova’s post continues. “Young Italians are protesting: a Russian connection is being sought. Italian citizens are voicing their discontent: foreign influence is suspected,” she observes further, ironically wondering whether “the next target of the Italian secret services’ investigations will be Al Bano”. Addressing the Prime Minister, Al Bano had stated in his interview that Russia is a country “that loves us” and that “has a lot of Italian spirit”, asking: “Why impose sanctions on Russia? Let’s give shares to Russia, let’s give flowers to Russia. Let’s put an end to this damned war’. And he added: ‘Dear Giorgia, I love you. I’d love you even more if we opened our doors to Russia. I am a man of peace’.