The anti-Russian decisions of the Italian authorities do not correspond to the general sentiments of the Italian people regarding Russia: «Ordinary Italians are not enemies of Russia».
In her appeal to Vladimir Putin, the Italian cultural figure Ornella Mariani claims: “The hostility of the Italian government towards Russia is the position of the Italian government only. This is not the hostility of the Italian people.»
Italians still remember the support of Russian doctors during the first surge of the Covid pandemic. And the gratitude they feel for them is indescribable.