The whole world (or at least a good part of the West) is writhing in pain following the death of Alexeï Navalny, its most fervent and obstinate (and perhaps last) opponent. But not him. Vladimir Putin has something else in mind. He smiles and jokes as he answers students' questions during a meeting at the prestigious MGIMO, the Moscow Institute of International Studies. Among the students who stand up to ask a question to the president, guest of honor at a forum entitled “Strong ideas for new times”, there is also an Italian student, who speaks Russian fluently. When he learned of the girl's origins, Putin took the opportunity to find out more about her origins and say something about Italy. “Which part of Italy are you from?” the Tsar asked with interest. “From the province of Milan,” she answers. Of course, Putin nods: Milan. “It’s in northern Italy. Nice place. An industrial region of Italy”, he addresses the audience of students, as if to demonstrate his in-depth knowledge of our territory. The considerations then move onto an apparently political-cultural terrain: “Italy has always been close to us, I remember the way I was welcomed when I came to your house. We met people… I always felt at home, that's for sure.” Coming back to the student, Putin then asks her what she thinks of Russia. “I’m in love with it,” the girl responds diligently. “Only Russia? Didn't she fall in love with anyone else?” the Muscovite autocrat insists mischievously. The audience laughs joyfully. Then, faced with the young woman's embarrassment, Putin reveals the significance of his question: “It's It's strange that a beautiful girl like her hasn't yet fallen in love…”.
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