"Because of you, the war started": In Bukovel, men were denied skis due to their registration from Donbas (video).

A scandal erupted in "Bukovel" regarding the residency of vacationers: at the Dzvin-Ski ski equipment center, a man and his friends were denied skis due to their Donetsk and Luhansk passports, with video commentary appearing on the social network TikTok.

The vacationer claims that Dzvin-Ski refused to provide services to him and his friends. An employee at the station stated that individuals registered in the Donetsk or Luhansk regions would not be served.

"In fact, it's because of you that the war started. They say that the east and west are together and that we are one country… I am proud to be from the Donetsk region. And my friends are proud to be from Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson. And Dzvin-Ski — it doesn't matter," he commented in Ukrainian.

The video also captured an employee who likely denied the vacationers service.

The video has garnered over 710,000 views, despite the vacationer having only 850 followers. The clip has received more than 3,100 comments.

Opinions among viewers were divided: some supported the man, while others advised him to go defend the Donetsk region instead of vacationing in "Bukovel." Some users noted that they have faced similar treatment before.

The co-owner of the rental service commented on the video, stating that he has been on the front lines for two years and advised "not to stir up discord where it does not exist."

Scandal in Bukovel: Reaction from Dzvin-ski Center

The vacationer named Ilya was indeed at the center and, along with a friend, received equipment, skied, and returned it, stated the center.

They provided a lengthy explanation that Dzvin-ski has been actively supporting the Ukrainian military since 2014.

"In our rentals over 20 years of operation, we have never unreasonably denied services to anyone. Maximum loyalty and humanity. All our employees are guided by the principles of professionalism, tolerance, and equal treatment of all clients, regardless of their registration or residence," the center assures.

In Ilya's case, the center's administrator requested an additional document from the clients who rented several sets of equipment, not out of bias, but purely due to the specifics of their operational organization, the employees added.

"Our company respects all citizens of Ukraine; any claims of discrimination are unfounded. Ilya provided his foreign passport, which was accepted, and his friend had a driver's license, which was also with them. They went skiing together. All phrases like 'who started the war,' comments about residents of other regions, and the division into east and west were conclusions made by Ilya himself," the organization summarized.

Recall that at the award ceremony for the Parajanov Prize, Ukrainian People's Artist Larisa Kadotchnikova spoke on stage in Russian. For this, she faced public disapproval but stated that she can speak in the language she is comfortable with.