By Stephen Sorace

The country bans all outside activities, including exercising; Italy is the coronavirus outbreak epicenter of the world with more deaths than China.

President Putin has ordered his nation’s army to deliver medical aidy – the new epicenter of the pandemic – after offering help during a Saturday phone call with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte.

Preparations for the aid mission were underway Sunday at the Chkalovsky military airport in Moscow. Russia was loading nine colossal Il-76 cargo planes with eight mobile medical teams, medical equipment and aerosol disinfection trucks to send to Italy’s hardest-hit regions.

Russia will also send 100 military members who specialize in virology and epidemics.

A military truck loads onto a Il-76 cargo plane in Chkalovsky military airport outside Moscow in preparation to deliver aid to Italy. (Alexei Yereshko, Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)

In photos released by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service, the doors of military trucks bore signs with heart-shaped Russian and Italian flags that read: “From Russia with love” in Russian, Italian and English.

Putin’s offer came on the same day Italy recorded its  the death toll to 4,825 – the highest in the world – while the number of infections rose to 53,578. The exploding caseload has overwhelmed Italy’s doctors and nurses and left medical equipment in short supply.

A sign on a Russian military vehicle reads: “From Russia with love” in several languages. (Alexei Yereshko, Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)

Russia has so far reported very few confirmed coronavirus cases, noting just 306 infections and one death.

As the U.S. and Europe struggle to contain the virus, nations once viewed as rivals are stepping up in the global coronavirus response.

Last week, Chinese President XI Jinping pledged to help Italy, moving quickly to send experts and desperately needed medical equipment, including millions of masks.

China’s rush to aid struggling countries Serbia, Liberia, the Philippines, and the Czech Republic.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.