Bullying, publicly revealing private information, the ripping of a Russian flag and demonstrations against Russian nationals, were cited in a report circulated by the Russian embassy on Tuesday although the cooperation of the Cypriot authorities was noted.

The report was put together by the Russian foreign ministry and has been released to the press around the world.

Xenophobic attacks against Russians living abroad have been recorded in multiple countries since the beginning of Russia’s invasion in Ukraine, including in Cyprus.

The report indicates discrimination and violation of rights of Russian citizens in Cyprus.

Among the violations mentioned are displays of aggression from the Ukrainian expatriate and refugee community towards Russians, incidents of moral and physical pressure on Russians to force them to publicly condemn the Russian government’s actions and support Ukraine, incidents of bullying of Russian-speaking children in educational institutions as well as the tracking of personal data of participants in pro-Russian activities and their placement in social media with calls for violence – a practice known as ‘doxing’, later confirmed by the police noting that “we have received such complaints from both Russians and Ukrainians…The cybercrime department currently investigates.”

A specific incident that took place on March 1, 2022 involved the ripping of the Russain flag from the flagpole in front of the country’s honorary consul in Limassol.

The participation of members of the Cypriot parliament in anti-Russian protests was also noted.

The report talked about a “one-sided biased presentation of information on the island about the events in Ukraine, based on material disseminated by Western information agencies”, while noting efforts on behalf of the Russian embassy in Nicosia to inform the public about Russia’s approaches.

According to the Cypriot foreign ministry, this is not a report targeting Cyprus.

“This is not a report that concerns Cyprus only. It is a country-specific fragment from a holistic report that refers to the way the Russian Federation perceives the state of welfare of its citizens residing abroad. Regarding incidents in Cyprus, authorities are on alert and where instances violating the law are observed then the necessary measures and actions are taken,” a foreign ministry spokesman told Cyprus Mail.

The Russian report, in fact, mentions the cooperation of Cypriot authorities.

“After the Russian Embassy in Cyprus applied to the government of the country, the necessary measures were taken to ensure safety of the Russian and Russian-speaking residents of the island… Statements made by individuals regarding threats and aggression are investigated by the local police and procedural response measures are taken in the presence of sufficient grounds,” the Russian report said.