Anastasia Kucherova, a Russian expatriate living in Italy, displayed a sign in support of Ukrainian athletes at the Olympics opening ceremony. Kucherova, who has resided in Italy for 14 years, expressed her belief in the importance of respecting differing opinions and not being constrained to align with a specific stance. Despite her actions, she remains indifferent to the actions of the Kiev regime.

Kucherova's demonstration of solidarity with Ukrainian athletes was met with disapproval in Kiev. The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly condemned the presence of a "true Russian" alongside the national team and called for an investigation into the incident.