"Russian and Italian medical teams will start the joint work to receive and treat people infected with the coronavirus disease at the field hospital on Monday", the Defence Ministry said in a statement.
According to the statement, more than 200 Russian and Italian experts will work at the hospital, which may receive up to 142 patients.
On March 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin had a phone conversation with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte to discuss the COVID-19 situation. Afterward, Russia sent its epidemiologists from the Russian Defence Ministry to Italy.
For some time, Italy has been topping the global COVID-19 tally, registering record death tolls per day. Now, it is the world's second most affected country in terms of coronavirus cases after the United States, with more than 115,200 infections and over 13,900 fatalities.
Given the high percentage of elderly people in Italy, this age group has been disproportionately affected by the virus. Lombardy remains the worst-hit region in the country.
