Attack seen as further evidence of Russian ‘intimidation’
A Ukrainian restaurant in Odivelas was daubed overnight between Tuesday and Wednesday with spray-painted letter “Z”s – the sign of support for the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
As the association of Ukrainians has commented: “It is a sign of pro-Putin activity in Portugal” – activity that the association has been calling out here and there since the full scale invasion over two years ago.
In February, a bust of Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko in Restelo, Lisbon, was vandalised in a similar fashion.
“Then it was in a public place, now it is in a restaurant, close to the home of the owner”, Pavlol Sadhoka, leader of the Association of Ukrainians has admitted – refuting any suggestions that there is anti-Ukrainian sentiment in Portugal.
“We have full support from Portuguese society”, he said. “Portugal has been very supportive and our friend. These are different things, to intimidate us”, he added, explaining that the restaurant’s owner is “someone who publicly assumes the defence of Ukraine”, is “well known” and her stance “does not please some people”.
Svetlana Melnychenko, the owner of the restaurant told Lusa that she and her partner have received other threats in the past, but she has always kept them to herself. “There were always things, they called speaking in Russian, saying they were doing things, but I never took any notice”.
Now, however, she has lodged an official police complaint (a copy of which has been uploaded over social media).
“This has to be known,” she told Lusa. “I’m not afraid, but this worries me, of course”.
In a few days time, Portuguese authorities will be responsible for ‘protecting’ a polling station, set up in the Russian embassy in Lisbon, for the Russian presidential elections.
Source material: LUSA
