Mr Vadim Zoubovski runs a family-owned restaurant, Dumplings.ru, that serves Russian and Ukrainian cuisine.
- Members of the Russian community in Singapore have seen offensive posts and hate speech pop up online since the invasion of Ukraine
- Already concerned about friends and family members back in Eastern Europe, the hostilities they saw here only added to their worries
- Some are bracing themselves to face even worse hostilities after hearing reports about xenophobia towards Russians in other parts of the world
The 44-year-old mother of three said that she has seen people on her social media feed post offensive memes and hate speech about Russians, which has made her feel unwelcome here.
hese displays of hostility, as well as the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, affected her so much that she cancelled three shows between March 3 and 5.
“The performance was supposed to be a funny show featuring a comedian, but we decided to cancel because it is hard to smile now,” said Anna, who declined to provide her full name as she was worried about being a target of harassment.
Like Anna, members of the Russian community in Singapore have seen varying degrees of hostility here, particularly online, since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion in Ukraine on Feb 24.
There are about 4,000 Russians living in Singapore, said Mr Aleksandr Solovev, First Secretary of the Russian Embassy here.
Some are bracing themselves for the worst as they hear reports of xenophobic behaviours towards Russians in other parts of the world.
Mr Vadim Zoubovski, who runs a family-owned restaurant selling Russian and Ukrainian cuisine here, had also seen his business receiving online flak since the conflict escalated.
The Singapore permanent resident, who still has family members in Ukraine, was prompted to put up a post on Facebook on March 1 to ask the public to be “kinder in their words and refrain from leaving further hate speech”.
In the post, the restaurant, Dumplings.ru, also announced that it would donate 10 per cent of its proceeds from online orders to humanitarian efforts in Ukraine.
Mr Zoubovski, 51, said that since then, things have turned for the better, with his business seeing more orders.
When TODAY visited the restaurant's main branch at Maxwell Chambers at 2pm on Sunday, the restaurant was full, with a handful of people seen waiting outside, half an hour before it was due to close.While he still sees a small number of negative comments on social media, Mr Zoubovski said he was thankful for the support he had received both in terms of patronage and encouraging words.
SINGAPOREAN NOT SPARED
One Singaporean has also found herself caught in the crossfire.
Ms Cheryl-Ann Tan, who founded the Singapore-Russia Connection, a local group dedicated to building personal, cultural and business ties between the two countries, said that she has received abusive messages from friends, including one of her closest pals.
The 37-year-old Singaporean said: “When I first founded the club, it was to promote and introduce Russian culture in Singapore. Back then both governments put a lot of work into it; now it feels as if over a decade’s worth of work has gone down the drain.”
She is currently planning an aid mission for Ukraine with a friend who is involved with the International Organisation for Migration, which provides support to internally displaced persons, migrants and refugees.
The Russian Embassy in Singapore has not registered any reports about mistreatment or discrimination of its citizens, said Mr Solovev, who is also the head of the cultural centre Russian House in Singapore.
“At the same time, we regret to note that the anti-Russian campaign launched in the Western media, which is actively reprinted here, cannot but warm up Russophobic sentiments in the society,” he said.
He added that the Russian House has created online channels for Russians around the world to report any cases of provocations, violations of rights and discriminations, as they have seen signs of such happenings “especially in European countries”.
Rachel (not her real name), the founder of a Russian language centre here, set up a Zoom meeting with a psychologist on March 2 to render emotional and psychological support for Russians who may feel affected by the ongoing conflict or have been harassed.
She said: “It’s a difficult time for us, we are concerned. Many people have relatives and close ones who are directly affected by current events.
“So far, we have not faced any hostility. However, we know that it is happening in other countries and we want our community to be prepared for different situations, as well as help adults to talk to their kids about this.”
https://www.todayonline.com/singapo...g-degrees-hostility-some-bracing-more-1837891
