Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff
This type of harassment is a growing concern for immigrant-owned businesses from Russia and the USSR in and around Boston, as the war rages on some 4,500 miles away.
The Boston area doesn’t have an especially large Russian community, compared to some of its other immigrant diasporas: Just under 17,000 Russian-born people lived in Massachusetts in 2019, according to the Migration Policy Institute, with a sizable community centered in Newton, Brookline and Allston-Brighton. Some are refugees who fled the Soviet Union in the 1970s and 1980s, while others are more recent immigrants who came here in search of economic opportunity or to work or study at local universities.
Many Russian companies have been in Boston for decades and unequivocally denounced the country’s actions in Ukraine.
“We are devastated and condemn the attacks that Russia is inflicting on Ukraine,” the owners of Café St. Petersburg posted on their Facebook page on Wednesday. “Unprovoked attacks against a sovereign nation must not be allowed and we expect those responsible to be held accountable. For those in Ukraine, just know that our thoughts and prayers are with you.”
But as the conflict enters its second week, more companies selling Russian goods fear a backlash.
One is the Russian School of Mathematics, a Newton-based after-school program with 15 locations in the greater Boston area, which has faced calls in Facebook groups to change its name. Last week, when the war began, the Russian School issued a statement against the Russian invasion, explaining the nature of their company name. He also pointed out that the co-founders of the school did not come from Russia but from Belarus and, yes, Ukraine. It’s the first thing you see on the school’s website.
“No one is responsible for this war except Putin and his regime,” says the Russian School statement. “Many ask about the ‘Russian’ in our school’s name. We named our school to reflect the historical tradition of Russian mathematics that we all share. This is a tradition that predates the current government of Russia and will exist long after.”
Then there’s Petropol, a family-owned Russian bookstore in Newton. Since settling in in 1998, the store has become an institution in Boston’s Russian-speaking community and has taken a clear political stance against the Kremlin for years, often hosting Putin critics at speech events.
“We do not in any way support the actions of the Russian government,” said Sam Klebanov, whose family owns the bookstore and attended a recent rally in downtown Boston to support Ukraine. “But of course we are concerned that maybe some people may not want to support a bookstore that sources a lot of its products from Russia.”
When the invasion began in late February, someone wrote in the reviews section of the Berezka International Food Store website in Allston that its owners should “go back to Russia,” said its owner, who asked to be called by name only. Irina, to avoid being attacked. The market specializes in Eastern European products; has seen an increase in customers buying Ukrainian products in solidarity with the country.
“We are all horrified by what is happening,” said Irina. “We just got through the COVID situation, and this adds an extra layer of stress. I think anyone who is a good human being understands that you don’t take it out on people just because they speak Russian.”
BazaAr Supermarkets, a small chain of international markets in Boston with Moldovan and Ukrainian owners, stopped importing Russian products in response to the war, said co-owner Yuriy Blyakhman.
“I don’t want to support any possibility of money going to the wrong place,” he said. “All of us are against this war. We hate what is happening. We are trying to help.”
Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff
Many Russian and Eastern European companies are organizing support for Ukrainian citizens. Blyakhman has been collecting food to send to Ukraine and organizing transport to help people flee the besieged country. The Russian School of Mathematics said it is using its network in Eastern Europe, where many of its teachers come from, to help Ukrainian refugees. And Cafe St. Petersburg is hosting a Ukrainian night at the restaurant to raise funds for those affected, Mataiev said.
“Try to separate the Russian regime from Russian companies, because those positions do not reflect how we feel,” Mataiev said. “They were here [in the US] because we wanted freedom, we wanted a better life. And we pray that the people of Ukraine get that and the same with the people of Russia.”
Annie Probert can be reached at [email protected].
