Press

Even as part of her family was pummeled by Russian bombs in northeastern Ukraine, Svetlana 'Sveta' Savchitz ran in and out of the kitchen at her restaurant in the West Village on Saturday night making sure things ran just right.

Most owners are antiwar, and many of them are from Ukraine. But customer numbers are down all the same.

Despite publicly signaling support for Ukraine in the ongoing invasion, Russian restaurants in Manhattan are getting hit with vandalism, canceled reservations, and negative online reviews, the New York Times reports.

The eyes and ears of the world are on Ukraine right now, but you can also support the Ukrainian American community locally in NYC, which is home to a population of about 80,000. And luckily, that means there is some excellent Ukrainian food scattered throughout the city.

Since the onset of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Americans have scrambled to adjust their ... buying behavior, wrongly boycotting products and restaurants they associate with the country of Russia while supporting businesses that make even the smallest of gestures, such as temporarily changing drink menus to rename Moscow Mules as Kyiv Mules.

Some Russian-owned businesses in New York City are dealing with backlash over the Ukraine-Russia conflict. They told PIX11 News they too are hurt by what they see happening thousands of miles away, and should not be penalized for what's going on.

No matter where in the world there's a war being waged, the U.S. often feels it because of its diverse immigrant communities, many of which represent different sides of varying conflicts. It can be especially difficult when these groups, after many years in the country, have become intertwined to a certain extent.

Russia's military action on Ukraine has put the Russian Restaurants in New York City in trouble. Ironically, most of them are against the war and are owned by Ukrainian immigrants. The Russian restaurants have been receiving rude phone calls, negative reviews on online platforms and getting angry emails.

We all want to do our part to support Ukraine as the country defends itself against a brutal invasion by Russia. And many of us feel a little impotent right now, as we watch bombs go off on TV and refugees making a desperate escape, in the increasingly rare cases they’re able.

Some Russian restaurants and businesses in the U.S. are facing threats, harassment and vandalism in the days since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine.