ColiseumMOSCOW, 21 Mar. Italian tourism is suffering from the absence of Russians, writes the German edition Das Erste. In 2019, 1.7 million guests from Russia visited the country, leaving almost a billion euros on vacation, but now, due to the events in Ukraine, they cannot be counted on which drives many companies in the tourism sector to despair. Along with the Americans and the Chinese, the Russians are considered particularly active consumers in Italy. The Italian tourism industry, which suffered from the coronavirus, pinned hopes on them. The significant decline in turnover during the two years of the pandemic has proved extremely difficult for Italian tourism, and now Americans and Europeans are also canceling their trips to Italy due to the unstable situation in Ukraine. Tourism in Italy is considered a backbone industry, which brought 13 percent of the country's GDP before the pandemic. 
More than a million Russians will take advantage of the tourist cashback program Vladimir Putin on February 21, in response to the requests of the Donbass republics and after the appeal of the State Duma deputies, signed decrees recognizing the sovereignty of the LPR and DNR. Early on the morning of February 24, Russia launched a military special operation to demilitarize Ukraine. Putin called its goal «to protect people who have been subjected to abuse, genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years.» primarily against the banking sector and the supply of high-tech products. In addition, many brands have announced the termination of work in the country.
