Russia's Foreign Ministry warned its citizens on April 22 to avoid travel to Canada, citing what it calls numerous cases of discrimination against Russians, including physical violence, Reuters reports.
"Due to the numerous instances of discrimination against Russian citizens... in Canada, including physical violence, we recommend you refrain from traveling to this country for the purposes of tourism, education, and in the context of business relations," the ministry said in an advisory.
The advisory, dated April 20, was posted on the ministry's main Telegram channel.
Canada, one of Ukraine's most vocal international supporters, has committed over $1 billion in military aid to Kyiv since the start of the Russian invasion last year. It has also imposed sanctions on hundreds of Russian officials.
"If you are already in Canada, we urge you to be vigilant, especially in public places," reads the advisory. "This warning applies to educational institutions, among others. Intolerance towards Russian culture has been noted there."
Timothy Snyder, Professor of History at Yale University, pointed out that the idea of anti-Russian sentiment, commonly referred to as Russophobia, is often used by Moscow as an attempt to justify Russia's war crimes in Ukraine. The harm being done to Russians and Russian culture is primarily due to Moscow’s own policies and actions, he countered, spotlighting the emigration of creative Russians due to its invasion of Ukraine; destruction of independent Russian journalism; attacks on culture, books, museums, and other landmarks; and Russian Federation State television proclamations.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
