Russian influencers rip their Chanel bags apart to slam brand's 'Russophobia' amid war

There have been sanctions against Russia from various nations, as well as sports and entertainment-related organisations, in the wake of its invasion of Ukraine, which has lasted for 46 days now. Among the sanctions included that of the European Union to stop the export of luxury goods worth over 300 Euros to Russia.

As a result, some of the luxury brands like Chanel put the shutters over its stores in Russia in March. The decisions has not pleased some of the Russian influencers. They have been expressing their displeasure by calling it 'Russianphobia' or 'Russophobia.' The influencers have also gone forward and protested by ripping their bags of the brand apart.

Russian influencers destroy bags to protest closure of sale of Chanel products

Actor-TV personality Marina Ermoshkina, as per a report on USA Today, was the first to start this trend, that has caught up in a big way among influencers and socialites. She posted a video where she destroyed her Chanel handbag.

Ermoshkina stated that Chanel outlets, based outside of Russia, asking Russians to sign a 'humiliating document' to prove that they had nothing to do with Russia and not use those products in Russia was a 'total contradiction to the modern world's values.' 

Model Victoria Bonya followed suit and cut her Chanel bag into pieces.  

 "If Chanel House does not respect its clients, why do we have to respect Chanel House?" she said in the video, the report added. In her caption, she wrote that she had never seen any brand as 'disrespectful to their clients' as much Chanel. She also used the hashtag 'Bye Bye Chanel'.

DJ Katya Guseva too protested against Chanel in a similar way 

"I am against Russophobia, I am against the brand, which supports Russophobia and discrimination against women based on nationality. We Russian girls are beautiful whether we have a Chanel bag or not," she wrote on social media.

Russian influencers lament over Instagram ban

While this was a sanction by other nations against Russia, one decision of their own President Vladimir Putin had also affected Russian influencers. The leader had banned social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram, accusing its parent company Meta of being an 'extremist organisation.' At that time, many influencers had broken down on camera and the videos had then gone viral.