An Italian was banned from entering Ukraine for 3 years for praising Putin on a bus.

According to ТСН: The Italian Rocco's trip from Milan to Kyiv ended in a three-year ban on entering Ukraine. A Ukrainian woman, Daria Melnychenko, witnessed how the foreigner praised Russian dictator Vladimir Putin while belittling Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. She decided not to ignore it and shared shocking details of her conversation with Rocco.

Discussion that led to the conflict

Daria recalled that she felt the trip would not be easy as soon as she boarded in Milan, as one passenger was behaving drunkenly. This was Rocco, who was traveling with his fiancée to get married in Ukraine. During the first bus stop, he openly expressed his negative attitude towards Ukraine.

“I don’t know why he addressed only me. It all started with me giving him a compliment about his embroidered shirt. He said: 'Yes, thank you, my beloved gave it to me, ma', which translates from Italian as 'but'. And he started telling:

“Your president is so bad, I support Putin. Putin is so magnificent, and Zelensky is an idiot.”

A quarrel ensued between them, during which Rocco also mentioned businessman Timur Mindich.

“You don’t provide reports, the whole world helps you, and you are so bad.” I said one phrase in Italian: “Non voglio neanche sentire,” which translates as “I don’t even want to listen.” I turned, walked away, sat on the bus, and waited for the second stop. But by then

he was shouting: “Heil Hitler!” He shouted that Zelensky is a drug addict,”

She also noted that Rocco insisted that his fiancée shared his views, although, like Daria, she is Ukrainian.

“I said: 'No, we are completely different Ukrainians, because I do not share the same opinion,'” — the girl replied.

Publicity about the conflict

Daria decided to write about this situation on the social network Threads right after the first bus stop to share her experience and seek support. She did not expect that the story would gain such publicity. According to her, this story spread around the world. Italians who support Ukraine wrote to her.

“By the way, I really love Italy and have nothing against foreigners,” — she added.

She noted that Rocco was so confident in his position that he even did not support Giorgia Meloni.

“He is straight for Putin. He is very pro-Russian,”

Entry ban

At the second stop, the passengers had no idea how it would all end at the border.

“I already knew for sure because a journalist wrote to me that all services at the border were waiting for us. He warned all border points in Ukraine about it,” — the girl recounted.

At the border, border guards detained Rocco along with his fiancée. Daria initially communicated with the SBU and filed a report.

During the interrogation, the border guards asked about everything the Italian said. Eventually, it turned out that his social media confirmed his pro-Russian views, which became the grounds for banning him from entering Ukraine for three years.

Reaction of the Italian to the ban

Daria claims she was initially scared but decided to insist on her position.

“I initially thought that I wouldn’t go anywhere, but I said that I would insist on my own and still go to the border guards,” — she shared.

In conclusion, Daria told how Rocco reacted to the entry ban.

“He smiled. He said: 'Okay, no problem. Then I'll go to Italy to get married, and that's it.'”

The woman did not want to communicate with Daria and tried to return to Italy with Rocco.

“She approached the border service and asked: 'When will you let him go, we will be leaving soon?' And they replied: 'No, you aren’t going anywhere,'” — Daria reported.

Although Rocco's fiancée was let through the border, she still decided to return to Italy with him.

This story caused a significant resonance in Ukrainian society, emphasizing how important it is to put citizens on guard to protect their state. Daria’s account reminds us of how crucial it is to react to anti-Ukrainian remarks, as even during foreign travels, foreigners can express negativity towards Ukraine.