‘I am ashamed:’ Atlanta Russians react to Ukraine invasion

On Saturday, members of Atlanta’s Ukrainian community gathered in a rally downtown, where they laid bare their pain over the Russian military’s unprovoked invasion of their homeland.

A day later, in the same spot outside Centennial Olympic Park, another pro-Ukraine rally took place. This time, though, the people chanting and waving blue and yellow flags in solidarity were mostly Russian. The roughly 50 person-strong crowd held up signs that referenced their nationality. “I am Russian and I stand with Ukraine,” read one. “Putin ≠ Russia. We are against war,” read another.

Julia Krotova, who helped organized Sunday’s demonstration, moved from Russia to Atlanta less than three years ago. A former human rights lawyer in Russia and current political asylee, she says her country’s attack of Ukraine – a ground offensive of dimensions not seen in Europe since World War II – is all her family can talk about. As of Monday, over 400 civilians have been reported hurt or killed in Ukraine, according to the UN. On Tuesday, the Ukrainian defense minister said that more than 5,710 Russian soldiers have been killed by Ukraine’s forces since the start of the conflict. That figure has yet to be confirmed. In less than a week, an estimated 660,000 refugees have fled the country.

“It just seems like a nightmare,” said Krotova, who explained she wanted to rally her community because she believes it is important to oppose the war in Ukraine, “especially as Russian people.”

It’s a stance that is far from unanimous across the local Russian diaspora.

“Some people think there might be some justifications for what is happening. Some people try to just stay neutral,” Krotova said. “I think you cannot be neutral in the current situation. You need to clearly state whether you support Ukraine or the Putin regime.”

In Sunday’s rally, attendees urged their countrymen and women back in Russia to take to the streets and protest the violence in Ukraine. Since the beginning of Russian forces’ assault, anti-war demonstrations in cities across Russia have triggered swift police crackdown and widespread arrests.

Also inhibiting opposition to the invasion is Russia’s state-media propaganda machine, which has sought to minimize the scale of the fighting. Atlanta Russians say that has caused significant divisions inside their own families: Several of Krotova’s relatives have blocked her on Facebook and other social media platforms after she began posting frequent updates about the war. Marina Kremyanskaya has had similar experiences.

The Atlanta-based Russian immigrant says the minds of many of her friends back in Russia have been “poisoned by Russian propaganda … it works very well.”

Kremyanskaya said the events of the past week have left her feeling “hurt and upset.”

“I feel sorry for Ukrainians and I also feel sorry for Russians,” she said. “I’m ashamed of Russia’s actions.”

Krotova feels similarly.

“This war was started without the agreement of my people. This war is led by Putin on behalf of my nation,” she said. “Still, unfortunately, I feel really embarrassed to say that I’m Russian.”

Like most of her fellow Ukrainian expats, Irina Levterova Bhatia, an immigrant from Kyiv, says the past week has been “the absolute worst in my entire life,” racked with anxiety over the safety of her family members.

In that context, she said running into the Russian-led, pro-Ukraine demonstration in Atlanta was an “extremely heartwarming” surprise.

“It gives you faith in humanity … I feel like with this group [of Russians], we definitely have a lot of work to do together.”

Russians in the U.S. and Georgia

Population estimates for people of Russian descent from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (data from 2019):

Georgia cities with the highest number of people of Russian ancestry

Ukrainians in the U.S. and Georgia

Population estimates for people of Ukrainian descent from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (data released in 2020):

Georgia cities with the highest number of people of Ukrainian ancestry

Lautaro Grinspan is a Report for America corps member covering metro Atlanta’s immigrant communities. AJC data specialist Jennifer Peebles contributed to this report.