Ont. business owner burns Russian passport following country's invasion of Ukraine
CTV
A man who was born in the Soviet Union but is now running a business in Windsor, Ont. said he has burned his Russian passport as a way of distancing himself against the country’s invasion of Ukraine.
A man who was born in the Soviet Union but is now running a business in Windsor, Ont. said he has burned his Russian passport as a way of distancing himself against the country’s invasion of Ukraine.
In fact, Russia’s decision to invade Ukraine has even led him to stop speaking Russian to some of his peers.
“I think I better switch to English, because the Russian language is associated right now with the language of occupation, war and death,” Andrei Kovalevskii said in an interview with CTV News.
Kovalevskii, owner of the Windsor Massage and Steam Sauna, said he came to Canada 11 years ago after he was permitted to enter the country under the federal government’s Federal Skilled Trades Program.
The 50-year-old added he was born in the Kazakhstan portion of the United Socialist Soviet Republic, or U.S.S.R. Following the collapse, he and his family moved to the city of Kaliningrad in Russia. At the time, he said, he was participating in the opposition party against Vladimir Putin.
“After a certain time, I had to leave,” he said. “I tried to change the country from inside but it became too rough to participate in politics. A lot of my colleagues right now either immigrated, are in jail or have already been assassinated.”
For Kovalevskii, one of his goals upon moving to Canada has been to promote “Russian sovereign culture” in his local community.