Overview
- At the PalaAsti event titled “Democracy in Wartime,” Alessandro Barbero said “Crimea is in Russia, it has always been Russian,” invoking Carlo Calenda by name.
- Angelo d’Orsi, on stage with Barbero, backed the claim by repeating that Crimea has always been Russian.
- Calenda responded on social media, saying he hoped Barbero was drunk and insisting Crimea is Ukrainian territory seized by force, comparing the logic to justifying the Sudetenland.
- In a later video, Calenda argued Crimea was Russian for about 200 years, likened the claim to saying South Tyrol is Austrian, and accused Barbero and d’Orsi of siding with Putin.
- The Turin event had been blocked in December, later held with remote contributions from Marco Travaglio, Francesca Albanese and Moni Ovadia, and it renewed controversy around Barbero after a prior referendum intervention.