A little more than a month ago, most Russians were working at their jobs, reading the news and going on with their lives. Now, many are facing uncertain futures as the effects of the invasion of Ukraine echo throughout the world.  

Abroad, ethnic Russians have faced increased hostility and backlash. In Russia, economic devastation and increasing crackdowns by the government left many isolated and drove others to flee the country.  

Alexandra, a Russian immigrant living in Germany, commented on this situation in an interview via WhatsApp.  

“Well, I think that everybody in Russia is suffering from the effects of the conflict in a way. But I have friends who haven’t seen any other option for their future except leaving the country. They’ve fled to Stockholm and are now in Berlin and they don’t know if they ever go back,” said Alexandra. 

Twenty-three years ago, 11-year-old Alexandra emigrated from Russia with her mother. She is currently studying to be a Russian language translator.  

When asked about when she learned of the invasion Alexandra said, “My first thought was ‘Oh no, he really did it.’ I immediately called my Mum and advised her to transfer any possible remainders of any money to a German account before it’s too late. Unfortunately, it was a right intuition.” 

Some Russians, lacking the ability to flee to the European Union have instead made their way to countries like Georgia or Armenia that admit Russians without visas.  

Elsewhere, harassment against ethnic Russians has been reported since the conflict began. In Germany’s large Russian-speaking community, businesses and individuals have reported harassment and aggression. According to Deutsche Welle News, Germany’s international broadcasting organization, a Russian store in the city of Oberhausen was broken into and vandalized.  

“Yes, I heard about several incidents. My mum told me about a Russian supermarket in her neighborhood being vandalized and thrown with paint,” said Alexandra about the incident. 

Alexandra also expressed concern over the changing perceptions of the Russian language and worried about how useful her studies to work as a translator would be in the future. 

Aggression towards Ukrainians is in part due to the views that Russians have access to. According to Mazomanie resident Tammy Parks, a Russian language and history major, what they consume is Putin’s propaganda. She explained that the news access is limited to a few TV stations. News from other nations or sources is considered unpatriotic.  

“If someone in Russia is found to have like a video from Ukraine today, showing the war, there was a new law put in place on March 4th, that if anyone has access to or found to be in possession of anything they call fake news, that’s 15 years in jail,” Parks said.   

This disconnect has affected Russians to the point where they don’t know what is happening. Parks said that Putin makes sure to call the conflict a military “exercise” and not a war. The disconnect between factual news and the rest of the world causes Russians to be isolated. Russians in Russia have a different idea of what’s going on in the war. 

“I work with a woman who was from Ukraine, and she stopped talking to her elderly parents who live in a small town outside of Moscow because they believe what Putin’s TV stations are telling the Russians,” said Parks.  

What Putin claims is joining nations is instead causing Russians to become increasingly isolated. During this time, it is important to be involved even if it’s just being informed, as many people that are in the conflict don’t have sources of information.  

“We shouldn’t forget that people in Russia and Russians outside the country don’t want this war and that these people suffer from their ‘president’ and his decision and the impact that this war brings onto the country,” said Alexandra.