NEW YORK (AP) – They’re pouring out vodka, boycotting Russian restaurants and even leaving threatening voicemail messages at Russian businesses.
Angered by the deadly violence and the humanitarian crisis resulting from Russia’s war on Ukraine, some Americans are taking it out on Russian businesses and brands in the U.S. – or anything that sounds Russian.
Business owners and experts say it’s the most intense anti-Russian sentiment they’ve seen. They also call the behavior irrational and misplaced, especially when so many owners are denouncing Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion and supporting Ukraine, not to mention the fact that some are not even Russian.
Olga Sagan, the owner of Russian bakery Piroshky Piroshky in Seattle, which has offered handcrafted Russian pastries since 1992, described a recent call from someone threatening a terrorist attack on her store.
But Sagan immigrated from Russia in 1999 and is an American citizen. Of her 60 staff members, she is the only one from Russia; three others are from Ukraine.