Some Russian restaurant owners in the U.S. report that they have been harassed and lost customers due to the war Ukraine.
Ike Gazaryan, owner of the Pushkin Restaurant & Bar in San Diego, said he received angry voice messages about the Russian invasion. “Someone said he would come and blow up the restaurant and that would be compensation for what the Russians are doing in Ukraine,” Michael George told CBS News, adding that much of his staff is Ukrainian.
- Ukraine in crisis
Archy Kagramina, manager of the Russian Vodka Room in New York City, said WCBS that someone has been calling the restaurant “just saying bad words” about what is happening in Russia.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine, which began on February 24, has killed hundreds of Ukrainian civilians. more than 1.5 million people seeking refuge in neighboring countries, according to the United Nations. Mykhailo Podolyak, Ukrainian Presidential Adviser he tweeted On Monday, Russian shells damaged or destroyed 202 schools, 34 hospitals and more than 1,500 residential buildings.
The conflict is also hurting business at the Russian Samovar, a well-known and typically bustling restaurant in midtown Manhattan. Co-owner Misha von Shats said customer visits have fallen by 60% since the outbreak of war. “We have nothing to do with the war,” he told WCBS, noting that most of the staff are Ukrainian. “We want the war to end. We did not invade Ukraine, Putin invaded.”
American communities and corporations gather around Ukraine
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Von Shats and other Russian restaurant owners have openly condemned the Russian invasion on social media. The Russian Tea Room, also in Manhattan, posted on its Facebook page that the restaurant “renounces Russia’s unprovoked acts of war in the strongest possible terms.”
“We oppose Putin and the people of Ukraine,” the restaurant said.
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