Urgent investigation of the claim that the Kremlin had helped to fall the Italian government

Two former Italian prime ministers have asked for an urgent investigation into the fact that Russia had played a role in the fall of the government coalition by putting pressure on Matteo Salvini, the chairman of the right-wing extremist league party.

Enrico Letta, who is now chairman of the Middle-left Democratic Party, and Matteo Renzi, another former Prime Minister, called for an investigation by the Italian Parliament's intelligence agency.

"Salvini has to explain the relationship between the league and the Kremlin. We want to know whether it was Putin who has overthrown the Draghi government," said Mr. Letta. "If that were the case, it would be of the greatest importance."

Italy's unruly political landscape was shaken by claims that were first raised on Thursday by the daily newspaper La Stampa that an official of the Russian embassy in Rome had pushed Mr. Salvini to determine whether he would withdraw the government coalition in May.

The contact said reported between Oleg Kostjukow, a political officer of the message, and Antonio Capuano, a consultant of Mr. Salvini, who was behind a failed attempt to send the league to a "peace mission" to Moscow in May.

la Stampa said that she was looking for her story on reports of the Italian secret services.

Mr. Salvini called the claims "fake news" and insisted that he believed that the communication channels with Moscow should be kept open, but his party was "with the West and democracy".

But the Italian foreign minister called the claims "deeply worrying".

"I say Salvini that he has to explain his relationships with Russia," said Luigi di Maio.

The coalition, led by the former President of the European Central Bank, Mario Draghi, broke out dramatically last week after the league and two other parties, including Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia, withdrawn their support.

"What is there to clarify? The government was overthrown by three Pro-Tutin parties," said Carlo Calenda, the chairman of Azione, a small party in the middle.

The collapse of the Draghi government, which had expressed a solid Atlantic line and was steadfast in its support for Ukraine, was seen as an advantage for President Vladimir Putin because he undermined the solidarity of the western alliance.

Both Mr. Salvini and Mr. Berlusconi had deeply friendly relationships with President Putin in the past, with Mr. Salvini once in the red place and wore a T-shirt with the image of the Russian leader.

It is expected that the league and Forza Italia are allied with Italy's most popular party, the right -wing extremist brothers in Italy, led by Giorgia Meloni. Together they will probably win the election on September 25th.

It is unlikely that the alleged Russian connections of the league will undermine the alliance - for the time being.

"Meloni can even be happy to a certain point because she gives her the pressure of Salvini and Berlusconi. She already positions Brothers of Italy as a true guarantor for (Italy's commitment to) NATO," said Francesco Galetti, Analyst of Policy Sonar, an advisory company for political risks.

"But from a certain point this could come out of control and Meloni then stays with radioactive bedding."

In the meantime, there were claims that Russia used migrants and refugees as a weapon against Italy when the parliamentary elections moved closer.

According to reports, mercenaries of the Wagner Group in Eastern Libyen, who are allied with the armed forces of General Khalifa Haftar, encourage asylum seekers to get to Italy.

The number of arrivals has risen in a leapstm way compared to previous years. So far, more than 11,000 migrants reached Italy in July, compared to 8,600 in the same period of the previous year and 7,000 in the same period in 2020.

According to the newspaper La Repubblica, the refugee boats come mostly from Tobruk and Derna on the coast of Kyrenaika, the eastern part of Libya.

An influx of migrants could alert the Italian public and help the right alliance, especially Mr. Salvini, because he has opened openly to the need to curb the unauthorized entry.

"Libya is a cannon that is directed towards the election campaign. Migration is perhaps the strongest weapon for anyone who wants to destabilize the country and want to disturb the vote in September," a intelligence officer told La Repubblica.