Russians In San Francisco Confronted With Reality of Attack on Ukraine
SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX 5) -- As Russian forces continue their attacks on Ukraine, Ukrainians across the Bay Area are speaking out. But how are Russians feeling about it?
The area of Geary Boulevard near 19th Avenue in San Francisco is known as "Little Russia." Russians and Ukrainians have shopped at the same stores and eaten at the same restaurants for decades. Many of them have relatives living in both countries. But, on Monday, a Russian immigrant named Sergey said he thinks video of civilian attacks are "fake news" and that the military is there to save the Ukrainians from democratically-elected President Volodymyr Zelensky.
"The Russians give Ukraine freedom," he said, "from a dictator, Zelensky"
That's one of the narratives being pushed by Russian state-controlled media. At a rally this weekend, a young Russian protestor named Vitali told KPIX 5 the people hear only what the government wants them to hear.
"So, some of the people believe, and most don't even know what's going on," he said. "Because they're, like, oh, this is a small operation, a very small operation and only a few military objects were hit. So, there are people that genuinely believe that nothing's happening."
That includes some people right here in the US. A Russian minister named Brother Nathanael said he thought the operation was necessary.
"It's not a war, it's a peace-making operation. They're not attacking citizens, they're not attacking cities, they're just taking out military installations," he said. "It's fake news. This is fake, lying news from the West. I don't follow any news from the West."
But even here, people are reluctant to talk. A woman who asked not to be identified said her close friend is communicating with parents in Russia, and they said even the members of the military are confused about what's going on.
"They had no idea when they got on these planes where they were going to end up," she said. "And they end up in the Ukraine and it is not a military exercise, and they have no idea why they're there. And many of them have relatives there. So, it's that much more confusing."
Konstantin Jemeljanovs spent much of his childhood in Ukraine and says he's appalled by what he's seen so far.
"I think Russians inside the country see it the same way," he said. "No one wants this war. No one likes what is happening, everywhere. I have relatives in Russia, I spoke with them, they're in shock as much as my relatives in Ukraine."
It's unclear how many Russians live in San Francisco, but one report from 2002 estimated the number of Russian-speaking residents at 25,000--32,000 people. Viktor Morgulis, who once lived in Kyiv, said he expects that most Russians living in the United States would be against the war.
"It's a free country and they think very different," he said. "They don't understand what's ... why it's doing the war. They kill the people and everything. And everything, you know ... it's stupid."
