By Naiyl Latypov

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia--Ordinary Russian people living abroad are under verbal and physical attacks around the world just because they are Russians.

Some people who don’t like my country or my government, want to show their disagreement with the policy of Russia by hurting everything or everyone directly or even indirectly related to it.

They reveal their aggressive and hateful essence considering that they have an excuse for abuse, harassment, mutilation and other violations of law towards innocent people – men, women and kids.

This is a terrorist's logic.

Many of us are disgusted reading news that African and Asian citizens are thrown out of buses while trying to leave Ukraine.

We should feel the same if innocent civilians from other countries are treated in such a way. Try walking in their shoes before saying or doing something bad to them. 

 
Can you accept it if someone hits you just because you are, for example, Malaysian, American, Chinese or Japanese? Do you agree to be punished, beaten or killed just because of your nationality or race?

Imagine, you woke up, had breakfast and are leaving your apartment on the way to your office. An elevator’s doors open, and you enter the cabin thinking of your own business.

There is a Ukrainian neighbour in the cabin. You have never dealt with the guy before, and did nothing bad or wrong to him. However, he doesn’t like your country, and he thinks that it is ok to hate you as well.

So he believes that the proper answer to your polite “Good morning!” should be “*** you!” repeated in different ways – just to let you clearly understand his intentions.

You feel lucky because you have come out of this situation healthy. But if you haven’t?

It is difficult to understand why such individuals, who believe that they are citizens of democratic states ruled by law, do it this way.

No one can justify rude and intolerant behaviour, and it doesn’t matter if it is because of emotions or malicious intentions. Especially when it turns into a crime which has its consequences.

As for Russians, we have always treated Ukrainians like brothers and sisters. Millions of the Russian citizens are Ukrainians ethnically or have Ukrainian roots.

Many of us have relatives of various ethnic backgrounds who reside in Ukraine. We feel deep sorrow that civilians in Ukraine suffer since the Kiev regime uses them as a human shield, not allowing them to leave via humanitarian corridors reopened again and again by the Russian forces. We pray for them to stay safe.

I am sure that state-to-state relations should not determine people-to-people communication.

If someone is eager to demonize my country, he or she must have a second thought before assaulting innocent people.

Don’t follow the terrorist way, stay humane.

*Naiyl Latypov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation in Malaysia.*