‘That’s not who we are’: Ukrainians, Russians in South Florida condemn invasion
As Russia’s military invaded Ukraine on Thursday, Malka Shahar watched the news in horror from her home in Sunny Isles Beach, an enclave for Russian immigrants in South Florida.
“It’s a nightmare,” Shahar told the Miami Herald. “People must speak out.”
Shahar, 57, was born in the Soviet Union and has for years opposed Russian President Vladimir Putin, including during his past invasions of Georgia and Crimea.
On Thursday evening, she was one of hundreds of people — many with Ukrainian roots, others from Russia and elsewhere — who gathered along U.S. 1 near Hallandale Beach City Hall to protest the Russian attacks.
“I never support Russia in any aggression,” Shahar said.
For some who joined Shahar at the protest, the situation hits closer to home. Dmytro Bozhko, a Ukrainian who lives in Boca Raton, said his wife is in Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, where she has been caring for her grandfather.
He said the last time they spoke, she was trying to get some sleep but feared a possible Russian attack.
“My wife is hiding somewhere in our apartment building,” he said. “She probably will stay awake through the night.”
The protest in Hallandale Beach, which has large populations of both Russians and Ukrainians, comes at a moment of violence abroad that could have huge ramifications in the United States, including for residents with ties to Russia and Ukraine.
United States sanctions against Russia could implicate Russian elites with ties to Putin’s regime, including those who have money parked in some of the flashy condos of Sunny Isles Beach.
Meanwhile, Russian and Ukrainian nationals on temporary tourist visas, some of whom send their children to school in South Florida, fear a potential shutdown of U.S. embassies in Russia or Ukraine could force them to choose between overstaying their visas or returning home, said Larisa Svechin, a former Sunny Isles Beach mayor.
“This is going to be very disruptive for a city like ours, financially and emotionally,” said Svechin, who was born in a region of the Soviet Union that is now Belarus.
As President Joe Biden announced new sanctions against Russia on Thursday, including the freezing of trInmigraciillions of dollars of Russian assets, some pointed to Sunny Isles Beach residents as possible targets.
“Have [U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement] agents poured into Sunny Isles yet this morning? If not, why?” Miami filmmaker Alfred Spellman tweeted.
But Svechin said Russians with ties to Putin account for a tiny percentage of Sunny Isles residents and property owners. Many more, she said, are heartbroken and feel kinship with their neighbors.
“You just break down because you can’t imagine this is happening,” Svechin said. “Sunny Isles Beach as a whole should not be condemned. ... That’s not who we are.”
Some Sunny Isles residents said tensions are rising locally. Paulina Sheyhet, who grew up in what is now western Ukraine, said she has already witnessed “heated fights” on Facebook and has faced tough conversations with friends, but has tried to stay neutral.
“I would definitely not go to the bar right now and start having a political conversation,” Sheyhet said.
Even schools are feeling the effects.
On Thursday, the principal of Norman S. Edelcup/Sunny Isles Beach K–8 school distributed a message to staff, anticipating possible friction between students from Russia and Ukraine.
“Given the high population of students from both regions, it is imperative that we are all vigilant with the students in order to mitigate any potential disruptive behavior or fighting between students from each country,” Principal Melissa Mesa wrote, according to a person who received the note. “Please do not tolerate students being disrespectful towards each other.”
Andrei Linev, who was born in Russia and splits time between New York and Sunny Isles, said he knows many people in Russia who “want to destroy Ukraine.”
But other friends share his opposition to the invasion. That has forced Linev, a supporter of former President Donald Trump, to put aside political differences with some of his anti-Trump acquaintances.
“Right now, it’s not a big deal,” he said. “We need to support Ukraine.”
Thursday’s rally in Hallandale Beach was organized in part by New Freedom of Russia, a South Florida-based group that opposes Putin’s government.
Evgenii Malenko, the group’s leader, told the Herald his grandfather lived in Ukraine and that he views Russians and Ukrainians as “almost like brothers.”
The rally, he said, was meant not only as a show of solidarity with Ukraine, but also as an expression of support for those in Russia who are speaking up.
“All of the conflict between us is just for political reasons,” Malenko said.
This story was originally published February 24, 2022 at 9:08 PM.
