Paolo Gellano was in a restaurant in New York City when he first heard about the “strange medicine from Russia.” The drug was called Arbidol, and, according to the other diners, was supposedly an effective treatment for coronavirus. When he looked it up on YouTube, Gellano, 45, found videos hailing it as a potential miracle solution to the Covid-19 pandemic. 

On March 13, as the whole of Italy went into lockdown, Gellano left the U.S. to join his family back in Umbria, in central Italy. Almost all direct flights to Rome were cancelled, and Gellano was forced to take an unusual detour via Moscow. 

During his day-long layover at Moscow international airport, Gellano and his friend filmed themselves walking through the terminal, wearing masks and sunglasses. “We’re in Moscow airport, and we’re going to buy this famous Arbidol that fights coronavirus,” Gellano told the camera. They entered the airport pharmacy, and Gellano bought two packets of Arbidol: one for him, one for his wife. “So many people in Italy are dying – and they don’t have this drug. Can you tell me why?” he says, signing off the video with “a big kiss from Moscow.” 

Gellano uploaded the video to Facebook. “I don’t know why I did it, but I did it,” Gellano told Coda Story. “I told myself – ‘I’m making this video for the good of my country, for the good of the world.’”