Italian man praised Putin on his way to Ukraine: he denied entry and banned for 3 years
Border guards did not allow 53-year-old Italian citizen Rocco, who holds pro-Russian views, to enter Ukraine. He told passengers that he respects Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and criticized the Ukrainian authorities.
As reported by Censor.NET, the press service of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine said this.
What is known about the situation
Earlier, Threads user Daria Melnychenko described how she was traveling to Ukraine from Italy on a double-decker bus and met a couple there — a Ukrainian woman and an Italian man wearing a vyshyvanka, who, according to them, were heading to the woman’s home.
The Italian, named Rocco, began asking Daria questions, after which he started criticizing Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and talking about how he respects Putin.
"I promised him that we would go to the border together and that I would go up to the border guards. He will not get through the border on my watch. I will do everything, I will lie down, but it will not enter Ukraine," Daria told another passenger on the bus, who also said she would go to the border guards.
At the border, Melnychenko spoke with the shift supervisor, who photographed both her documents and the Italian man’s documents. According to the woman, she was told that Rocco would not be allowed through.
- This story caused an outcry on social media. Ukrainians not only made memes but also tracked down the Italian man’s social media accounts.
- In particular, under Rocco’s latest TikTok post dated January 5, in which he wrote: "A trip to Russia, I will be there soon, my land."
The foreigner was not allowed into Ukraine
"When the 53-year-old foreign national, an Italian citizen described by the woman and who was traveling to Ukraine, arrived at the border crossing point, inspectors of the State Border Guard Service carried out all the necessary border control measures with the involvement of other control services," the SBGS said.
The detailed check has now been completed. The result is a refusal to allow the foreign national to cross the border and a three-year ban on entry into Ukraine.
"In fact, he holds pro-Russian views and justifies Russia’s armed aggression against Ukraine. Due to violations of Ukrainian law, he received the relevant decisions at the border. He attempted to enter Ukraine by bus via the Chop border crossing point," they added.
