Our View: Government must support Russian businesses, individuals in Cyprus

Last week, Russia’s embassy in Cyprus said it had received reports that Russian nationals were on the receiving end of threats, insults and calls to leave Cyprus. The source of these reports were Russian nationals, said the embassy, which, however, gave no indication about the number or frequency of the hostile behaviour. At the time, police said they had received no complaints of this nature anywhere on the island.

It is entirely possible that the targets of these attacks felt more comfortable reporting them to their embassy, perhaps fearing police would not bother investigating verbal threats. In a post last week the embassy urged its nationals “not to get involved in provocations and to report such incidents to the police and the Russian embassy.” Nothing else has been heard since then, which indicates these may have been isolated incidents.

We would hope so, because Russian nationals living and working in Cyprus are not to blame for the war in Ukraine and should not be targeted by anyone. They have made the island their home, are part of Cyprus society, have set up businesses that contribute significantly to the economy and support local service providers be they schools, auditors or restaurants. It is appalling to attack these members of our society – if this is happening – because President Putin decided to invade Ukraine, with Russian troops spreading death and destruction.

If anything, the government needs to consider helping out Russian residents, professionals and business-owners, who have been operating in Cyprus for years, paying taxes and offering employment, now that they may be encountering difficulties operating because of sanctions against Russia. Sanctions that have paralysed Russia’s financial and banking system have also caused problems for legitimate businesses which operate abroad and many in Cyprus would have been affected. We are not talking about companies owned by individuals on the EU sanctions list but those that are being penalised for simply having business links with Russia’s economy and banking system.

There may not be practical ways of helping such companies at present but the government needs to be in contact with owners and directors to keep in touch with developments because many of these businesses are as much a part of the local economy – in terms of providing employment, creating wealth and paying taxes – as any Cypriot enterprise.

As for individual Russian nationals, the authorities must offer protection if there is the slightest suggestion of a campaign of threats and racism against them. So far there has been nothing reported to the police and we hope it stays that way.