'We wish for nothing but peace': Local Russian restaurant pledges portion of sales to Ukraine humanitarian efforts

Across the world, Russia's military invasion of Ukraine on Feb 24 has been widely condemned. And even a Russian restaurant in Singapore appears to be feeling the heat from netizens as well.

On Tuesday (March 1), Dumplings.ru, posted a statement on Facebook to address the matter and called for peace, pledging to donate 10 per cent from all their delivery sales to humanitarian efforts in Ukraine. 

The restaurant, has been in operation since 2019 and is the lovechild of couple Vadim Zoubovski and Alena Zubovska, who have lived in Singapore for over 17 years.

While the couple are Russian nationals, they shared that their family is based in Kyiv, Ukraine, and they "worry and pray for their safety in hopes that this difficult period will soon pass". 

"Our hearts go out to all those affected in Ukraine and their loved ones," they added.

ALSO READ: Singapore to impose sanctions on Russia, will continue to take strong stance against invasion of Ukraine: Vivian Balakrishnan

Alluding to the negative comments, which are no longer accessible online, the eatery said: "Even now, we wish for nothing but peace during such troubling times. We do hope that people can be kinder in their words and refrain from leaving further hate speech in this humble space that we have created."

On a brighter note, the pair also said that many others have reached out to check in on them.

The post's comments section has been filled with encouraging remarks asking the couple to ignore the haters. 

According to lifestyle platform Alvinology, Dumplings.ru started off as a humble food kiosk before establishing itself as a restaurant in 2020. It is one of the only Russian-owned Russian restaurants in Singapore. 

Inspired by the couple's grandmothers, the dishes here are crafted with authentic family-owned recipes that have been passed down from over a century ago. 

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Unsurprisingly, the star of the show here is the pelmeni, a dumpling dish. These are similar to our Asian dumplings, but instead, are stuffed with ingredients like salmon, smoked bacon, potato and lamb. 

If you're keen on supporting Dumplings.ru too, you can pay them a visit or place an order online. 

Address: 32 Maxwell Rd, #01-05 Maxwell Chambers, Singapore 069115 

melissateo@asiaone.com 

amierul@asiaone.com