A Ukranian militia group alligned with the Maidan government of Ukraine has been busted smuggling weapons including an air to air missile through Italy while also issuing death threats against Italian deputy Prime minister and de facto head of government Matteo Salvini (archived). Western media had to walk back their initial reports that the group was instead aligned with Russophilic seperatists seeking to defend themselves from the embattled US backed government of Ukraine.

This incident highlights the increasingly strained nature of the NATO behemoth as intraEuropean tensions build and major members of NATO are seeking more cordial relationships with Russia as a hedge against other NATO allies with conflicting interests.