The topicality of the issue lies in the fact that the role of non-governmental and sub-national policy actors in international relations has qualitatively increased. Public diplomacy is a topical thing in breaking through the economic, information and political blockade of the Crimea. In this connection a positive experience of international cooperation of Italian regions and businesses with the Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol (2014-2017) is of a definite interest. The long-term factors of international cooperation of the business and regions of Italy with the Crimea are high level of economic cooperation of the north regions of Italy with Russia; the competition of regional interests with national authorities; the increasing influence of regionalist and opposition parties in some areas of northern Italy; structural and economic similarity of the Crimea with the Italian regions. The greatest prospects for cooperation exist in the economically developed areas of northern Italy, where the influential opposition parties are “Northern League”, “People of Freedom”, “Movement of 5 Stars”. An important resource for public diplomacy of Russia could become an information policy, pursued by means of museum, theater, educational and research institutions activities, positioning Crimea as a “bridge” between civilizations, the centuries-old place of dialogue and cooperation.
