Restaurants with Russian cuisine in New York are boycotted because of the war in Ukraine

After the Russian invasion of Ukraine Sveta, a small West Village restaurant known for its Instagram cocktails and hearty Russian dishes like borscht, has received a slew of negative emails. One simply said: "Go back to Russia," reports The Times.

It would be difficult for Sveta Savchits, who is 64 years old and moved here from Ukraine in 1993. More than 25 years later, when she and her son, Alan Agichev, opened a restaurant, they decided to present him on the market as Russian, because they thought that this way he would be recognized more. “Our kitchens are very similar,” Agichev said.

There is name recognition these days, but not in a good way. So last week they changed the entire language on the Sveta website from Russian to Eastern European.

“People kick our door at night”

Russian restaurants in New York have public relations problems. While many owners openly oppose the war or are even Ukrainian, they are suffering from cancellations, social media campaigns and bad reviews from Yelp at a time when some restaurants are closed or under Covid-19 restrictions. Some places have even been vandalized.

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“People kick our door at night,” says Vlada von Schatz, owner Russian "Samovar"“, a family run Russian bar in Midtown known for its vodka and caviar flavored drinks. "People call us Nazis on the phone."

Miss von Schatz is Russian and her husband is Ukrainian. Their three adult children, all of whom work in a restaurant, consider themselves both first and second. Most of the Samovar employees are from Ukraine. One of the musicians had a niece who died in a violent incident last weekend. Russian employees speak out against the invasion.

This week the restaurant is hosting a fundraiser for Ukraine. A blue-and-yellow flag is hung on the door and a sign reads: “Stay on the side of Ukraine. No war".

"Russian dumplings following a Russian warship"

However, on March 4, while the sidewalks outside were packed with people going to Broadway plays, there were only a few patrons.

“This is usually the best time for us,” says Nicholas von Schatz, 29, owner and manager. “The bar is usually at least 70 percent full at this time.” One couple commented that they had wanted to come here for years and this was the first time they could get a booking.

Miss von Schatz said that the number of reservations has decreased by 60 percent. “These people don't understand that we have nothing to do with Putin,” she said.

Maria Dolinskaya, owner Russian restaurant "Tsarevna" on the Lower East Side, nine years ago she moved from Russia to New York. She calls the war "terrifying" and puts up a poster in support of Ukraine. Customers were still calling, demanding to know which side of the war the owners of the Tsarevna were on.

“I am Russian,” Dolinskaya said. Her husband and co-owner, Ricky Dolinsky, is “half Taiwanese, half New Jersey. His grandparents are from Ukraine.”

Like many immigrants, they represent several countries. Despite being outspoken about their anti-war stance, bookings have been cut in half, Dolinsky said, and profits that used to be plentiful are now pitiful.

Rafael Nieto, owner Yeah! Dumplings, a store that sells frozen Russian dumplings, is most concerned about online trolling. One of the reviews on Google said "Russian dumplings following a Russian warship" followed by a one-star review.

"It's sad to see that people don't even know about the business before attacking us," Nieto said.

Some New Yorkers Support Russian Restaurants

Some New Yorkers choose to support restaurants. Agichev said that the landlord of the Sveta building had recently asked for his daughter's birthday party to be held there.

Neil Elkin, who works in finance, was at Samovar on March 4 with his wife and a group of friends.

However, for the customers who come and want to talk about the war, Yulia, a waiter at Samovar, who requested that her last name be omitted because she has family in Russia, takes the opportunity to explain to them that not every Russian supports decisions and policies of President Vladimir Putin.

“I'm trying to show people that we're not what everyone thinks,” she said. I can't sleep here, I always check the news. I think this war is the worst decision Putin has ever made.”